Hundreds of residents brought broken shoes, torn umbrellas, worn bags and malfunctioning gadgets to "Repair Maadi Bengaluru 2026," a repair fair organized by Saahas Zero Waste at the Indian Institute of World Culture in Basavanagudi. Held to mark International Repair Day, the event connected visitors with 11 professional repair vendors in an effort to push back against the city's growing mountain of discarded goods.
What the Fair Offered
Vendors at the event covered a wide range of trades: shoe and bag repairs, umbrella fixes, clothing alterations, zipper replacements, laptop diagnostics, knife sharpening, bicycle tune-ups, watch repairs, suitcase fixes and electrical appliance servicing. Organizers said umbrellas and clothing items were among the most frequently submitted repairs, reflecting everyday wear-and-tear items that often get tossed rather than mended.
Beyond the repair stalls, the event featured hands-on workshops covering carpentry and furniture upcycling, decor made from waste materials, diya painting, puppetry and storytelling, laptop maintenance basics, and doll-making from discarded cloth - activities aimed at teaching practical repair and reuse skills directly to attendees.
Why Organizers Say Repair Culture Matters
Smita Kulkarni, one of the event's organizers, told TNIE that the initiative aims to promote repair and upcycling as viable alternatives to simply replacing products, while also supporting local repair technicians and encouraging more sustainable consumption habits. She noted that repairing goods extends their useful life, eases pressure on waste management systems, reduces environmental impact and saves consumers money.
India has long had a robust repair-and-reuse tradition, with neighborhood cobblers, electricians and watch repair technicians forming an informal but effective support network. However, organizers pointed to a shift driven by inexpensive mass-produced goods, frequent discount sales and the convenience of online shopping, all of which have made repair services comparatively less appealing to many consumers in recent years.
Official Interest and a Parallel Policy Discussion
Karnataka's Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited the fair, spoke with technicians on site, and invited the organizing team to hold similar repair events on a recurring basis at Kasa Rasa in Koramangala, suggesting potential for the model to expand within the city.
Saahas also used the occasion to host an invite-only workshop under its Global Donut Days 2026 program, gathering urban planners, development practitioners and civic groups to discuss Bengaluru's social needs against its ecological limits, framed around water, waste, mobility and energy. Organizers say sustained demand for repair services could, over time, push manufacturers toward designing more durable and repairable products and improve the availability of spare components.