Gupta said clothing was not just an issue at the time of natural disaster but a basic need, which needed to be addressed for the betterment of poor and needy.

Gupta said Goonj, which had won several awards including the "Indian NGO of the year", has launched a nationwide movement called "Vastradaan", a unique resource mobilization initiative providing clothes and other basic amenities to millions of people in the far-flung areas just by turning one's wastage into a resource for another. Anshu's idea is also to spread awareness that anytime an urban household thinks of disposing off reusable materials, it should be aware of a channel through which it can be ultimately utilized to the fullest.

Image: Indian students carry bundles of used clothes which came as relief material to be distributed to in Cuddalore | Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images