Your Junk Is His Decor; Odisha Youth Opens Cafe Using Waste Material

Bhubaneswar: In a unique effort, a youth from Bhubaneswar has constructed a café within a month, using waste material. The café, a branchild of Manas Sahoo, is called ‘Delish Cafe’ and was inaugurated on January 1 at Dumduma in Bhubaneswar.

The open air cafe has an air of informality or as youngsters would put it, has a ‘cool vibe.’ It is open to people of all age groups and is ideal as a hangout or for any kind of small celebration, said Manas.

“Normally, people have to pay either an entry fee or booking charges for hosting parties and get togethers in parks and restaurants. I thought of making a cafe by investing as little as possible, so that I can provide service to the customers at an affordable price. I have constructed the cafe all by myself, using waste products,” said Manas.

“I did not also have that much money to invest in the café. That is why, I searched for alternatives for decorations. Once I had gone to buy some fancy flower pots for my café but I found them expensive. So I came back home and made some  myself using unused ghee jars. I have made dining tables with unused water tank slabs and have put lights in bottles. Except for some lights, I have made all the other things using waste products,” said Manas.

He had collected some waste products from roads after the devastating cyclone ‘Fani’.

“Students come here to practice their hobbies. Some come and play their guitar in peace,  others come here for discussions on social issues. Their presence makes the place very vibrant and they don’t have to pay come and sit,” he added. People can also go in for a roof top party or for birthday celebration here.

“I give a lot of importance to sanitation and cleanliness. I prepare the food myself and use YouTube as my guide,” said Manas. He serves a variety of food and drinks in the café.

“There is no entry fee in this café. We get tasty food at an affordable price here,” said a student.