Khushi, a Bangla word that simply translates to happiness, is often lost in the race to live amid the rising cost of living.
When Covid-19 broke out, it affected the economy and people worldwide. After two years, when the economies were slowly recovering from the losses, the Ukraine-Russia war disrupted the lives of people again.
As people struggle to meet their needs, initiatives like “10 Takay Khushi” are a much-needed cause of relief.
Unlike other shops in Bangladesh and most places in the world, 10 Takay Khushi does not have a wide price range based on the product. Everything is priced between Tk10 and Tk100 from blazers to kitchen utensils and appliances, toys, books, etc.
Mayukh IslamLocated in the capital's Dhaka Uddyan area in Mohammadpur, the shop opens every weekend afternoon to throngs of people before closing in the evening.
The initiative was launched in 2020 as a response to the pandemic by Switch Bangladesh Foundation (SBF), a non-profit youth organization. SBF Chief Coordinator Mustafizur Rahman said the idea came to the organisation as it was delivering groceries from door to door and discovered that people were also in dire need of necessities apart from food.
The Facebook page related to the initiative allows the foundation to collect donations made by people to be sold at the store. Sometimes people donate things they have seldom or never used and sometimes things that are no longer needed, but everything here can be of use to others. Even damaged goods are put to use. Broken plastic is used to make planters, worn and tattered clothes are turned into lusnis, a traditional kitchen item in Bangladesh.
Mayukh IslamOccasionally laptops are also donated, but instead of being sold, they are used to train children who do not have access to computers.
A team of five work to collect donations in Dhaka, and often receive donations from out of the city via courier. They sort through the collections, cleaning them before preparing them for the shop.
The early days of 10 Takay Khushi were different, as Mustafizur Rahman put it. He said, “At first, we ferried around in vans or held fairs in slums to sell the products. But about three months back we decided to have a physical store located here in Mohammadpur.”
When asked why the products had a token price, he replied: “We have quoted a minimum price because when things are given out for free, it sometimes loses its value and importance. There are people who are in need but cannot bring themselves to ask for something; and then there are people who are reluctant to accept something for free.”
Mayukh IslamNurul, who was browsing the shop, said he was not certain if everything was priced between Tk10 and Tk100 until he visited the shop in person.
Nizamul Islam, who bought a blazer from the shop, said: “I did not have any idea how much this might cost me. After visiting the shop, I saw that things could be purchased at a minimal price. I got a blazer for Tk100.”
Sharing future plans, Switch Bangladesh Foundation Chief Coordinator Mustafizur Rahman said: “We want to expand the shop to different slums in Dhaka and ultimately to different parts of Bangladesh. However, as of now, we are not getting enough products to run even one shop seven days a week.”
Koushik, who is still in his teenage years, purchased two books for Tk20.
Mayukh IslamFrom time to time, the foundation has arranged many occasional events like “10 Takay Eid Bazaar,” “10 Takay Iftaar Bitoron,” “10 Takay Shahittyer Bitoron,” many more where food and clothes were made available to people for a token price.
Mayukh Islam contributed to the report
