A Childhood of Giving
The spirit of social service came to me as an inheritance. Both my parents were supportive and always helpful to those in need. As I grew up, I took every opportunity to engage in social work—whether in school or college. In college, I joined NSS, and even at the workplace, I continued helping people in different ways.
Beginning My Journey with Goonj
My association with Goonj goes back more than 10 years. It began when I started contributing my own material from my society. Later, I involved my office colleagues, neighbors, and even relatives—collecting their material and delivering it to the Goonj centre.
This inspired me so much that I had almost decided to connect myself with Goonj after retirement. My decision became even stronger when I heard Anshu Gupta (Founder–Goonj and Gram Swabhimaan) on national television after he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
While building my new house, I also decided to open a Goonj dropping centre there. Unfortunately, when I shifted in February 2020, the COVID pandemic began, and the centre could only start two years later. But better late than never.
Lessons from Running a Dropping Centre
Running the dropping centre has taught me patience, as one cannot expect people to always follow all guidelines. The calls continue from 8 in the morning till 10 at night! Another challenge is the lack of awareness—sometimes materials that cannot be channelised are dropped off.
Whenever I receive calls, I send detailed instructions by text on what can be given and how Goonj uses it. This practice has helped a lot and improved collections. Every week, at least 3–4 vehicles are fully loaded. Since I also have enough space, I collect bulk material from corporate clients and schools as well.
Inspiring Others to Take Action
I always discuss with people who come to contribute material or volunteer the importance of taking up collection drives and dropping the material at the Goonj Center of Circularity.
This gives them hands-on experience of how their contributions fuel developmental activities in rural areas—across water, education, menstrual wellbeing, and more. I also guide them on how they can start a dropping centre of their own.
Why Goonj Matters
Beyond Goonj, I am connected with several other organizations doing excellent work in their respective fields. However, I am deeply attached to Goonj because its impact directly reaches far-flung communities. I could go on about how much I value this space, but for now, I will wrap up.
About the Author
Arun Kumar Bansal is a retired engineer from the Australian High Commission, New Delhi. He is a postgraduate from Delhi University and completed his M.Com. at the Delhi School of Economics. Social service has always been his passion. Currently, he resides in Noida and runs a Dropping Centre for Goonj.
Be a Part of Change
Our invitation to you is, start from where you are.. From a small change of starting a Goonj kee Gullak or Team 5000, joining a long and deep change process, or things in between- organising a collection drive, a volunteering journey, an internship, or simply walking with us signing for a Goonj monthly newsletter subscription.. More on www.goonj.org or write to [email protected].
Many options, but the choice is always one; Taking Action..
