An electrical training workshop by Repair Cafe Bengaluru in Indiranagar.
Credit: Special Arrangement
From teaching how to fix clogged taps and darning a tear to bringing professionals to the doorstep, a look at city initiatives that are advocating for repair and reuse. It's International Repair Day on October 19.
Do it yourself
Repair Cafe Bengaluru aims to instil confidence and build skill in people to repair things of everyday use. At gated societies and educational institutions, its volunteers lead DIY workshops, guiding people on how to mend their bicycles, clothes and electrical appliances. They organise online workshops too, called ‘Troubleshoot it yourself’.
Tinker Kinder is their vertical for children in the 8-14 age group. In these hybrid sessions, they are sensitised to the importance of repair and how to do basic fixes at home, such as unclogging aerators installed inside taps.
The larger Repair Cafe Collective has collated a map of repairers in Bengaluru to locate vendors to fix shoes, bags, home appliances, mobile phones, automobiles and cameras. “Our volunteers have interacted with and taken services of these vendors,” shares trustee Himadri Das.
Write to repaircafe.bengaluru@gmail.com; look up map on linktr.ee/repaircafebengaluru
Mechanics at doorstep
Saahas brings repair vendors to apartments and low-income neighbourhoods three Saturdays a month. These comprise a tailor, cobbler, a bicycle mechanic and a knife sharpener who also fixes bag zips. Repairs in poor communities are offered free of cost. Inside apartments, the charges go from Rs 10 to Rs 850. Knife sharpening is highly sought after, followed by servicing of children’s bicycles, such as restoring a flat tyre and tightening nuts and bolts.
“Old areas like Jayanagar, Malleswaram and Halasuru have an established network of repair vendors. But areas like Whitefield and Bellandur are new and isolated and residents struggle to find such vendors,” project manager Deepti Ravi talks about the gaps the ‘Repair Maadi’ project is trying to fill.
It’s also a livelihood initiative. “A knife sharpener makes about Rs 600 a day after travelling long distances. At our sessions, they are earning Rs 1,500-Rs 4,500 in five hours.”
The team collects bulky waste like mattresses and toys on the sidelines.
Contact info@saahas.org or 85100 91213.
Kids learn laptop fixes
As a company, Circularity refurbishes and revives used computers. It organises computer hardware tinkering workshops for children for free. The team opens and reassembles a laptop and invites children to see and touch the parts. The participants learn about the risks of e-waste, how to open and screw back a laptop, how to clean the insides, how to run diagnostic tests with a press of a button, and how to do basic debugging.
Cofounder Kathiresan Mahendran talks of common problems faced by laptop users. One, the battery doesn’t give enough backup. Two, the system slows down in one year. Three, they run out of storage.
The team holds the ‘Circularity Workshop’ at apartments, schools and colleges.
Contact mahendran.kathiresan@ circularity.co.in or 9880702998.
On Saturday
‘Repair Maadi’ will host repair training sessions and panel discussions. Public can bring their clothes, shoes, and knives for mending by professionals. October 19, 10 am, Shankaraa Foundation, next to Doddakallasandra metro station. Entry free. Details on @saahas_ngo on Instagram.
Know ‘right to repair’
The Department of Consumer
Affairs of India has launched a ‘Right to Repair Portal’. It aggregates information to help consumers repair products by self or by third parties, rather than only depending on original manufacturers. It covers automobiles, consumer durables, mobile and electronics, and farming equipment. Roughly 60 brands have uploaded information like authorised service centres, repair manuals, and prices of genuine spare parts. Visit righttorepairindia.gov.in