Bengaluru Repair Workshop Success: Over 300 Items Fixed at Casagrand Luxus Event
A community repair workshop held at Casagrand Luxus in Halehalli, Bengaluru, has been hailed as a resounding success, with more than 70 residents participating and over 300 items receiving repairs. The event, which brought together families from the 124-household community, focused on mending everyday objects to promote sustainability and reduce waste.
Workshop Details and Resident Participation
The workshop covered a wide range of repair services, including umbrellas, garments, footwear, zippers, knives, and bicycles. According to Suresh Randadath, an IT professional and resident of Casagrand Luxus, the initiative not only fixed broken items but also educated participants on common repair tools and techniques. "It's easy to discard something broken and order new online, but we believe in fixing because we care for our city and want to support livelihoods," said a volunteer from the Repair Cafe Bengaluru Foundation, highlighting the event's deeper purpose.
Broader Impact of Repair Initiatives in Bengaluru
This workshop is part of a growing movement in Bengaluru to revive the art of repair. The Repair Cafe Bengaluru Foundation, which organized a similar lively gathering in Sanjay Nagar, helps residents mend items like musical instruments, decor, festival lights, and old clothes through sewing, mending, and soldering. These events provide strong repair networks for attendees with worn-out appliances and gadgets.
Additionally, Saahas, a Bengaluru-based NGO, runs the RRR Maadi project to connect apartment communities with local repair vendors such as cobblers and tailors. "The project aims to conduct 36 community engagement events to promote a culture of refuse, reduce, and repair," explained Smita Kulkarni, communications lead at Saahas. Deepti Ravi, project manager for RRR Maadi, noted that residents pay vendors directly for repairs, while the project handles logistics like lunch and transport, even providing gap funding if turnout is low.
Benefits and Future Plans
Repair workshops offer multiple benefits:
- They educate residents about product parts and costs through interactions with technicians.
- They foster connections between apartment dwellers and local communities.
- They support eco-friendly practices and livelihoods of repair workers.
Looking ahead, Repair Cafe Bengaluru is preparing for Solvecon, another workshop scheduled at PES University on February 21, and plans to expand its initiative to government schools across Malleswaram. Suresh Randadath encourages other communities to host similar workshops, emphasizing their environmental and economic advantages. "I'd encourage other communities to conduct such workshops because, in addition to being eco-friendly, it helps the livelihood of people doing the repair work," he stated.
Overall, these efforts in Bengaluru are transforming how residents approach consumption, turning repair into a community-driven solution for sustainability and social support.
