The Challenges of DIY format in Repair Cafe Chennai Workshops

Who we are: Repair Café Chennai Initiative, in collaboration with Repair Café Collective India and Repair Café Bengaluru, is a close-knit team that multitasks beyond repairing. The workshop was hosted by Mrs. Meena and Mr. Naresh, supported by mentors Mr. Perumal, Mr. Saravana, and Mr. Krishnaraj from Chennai, along with two mentors from the Repair Café Bengaluru Foundation, and our new mentor, Mr. Sivachandran.

Mentor helping a participant with troubleshooting.
Photo: RCCI Team

Why DIY is important in a repair café format: One of the key aspects that distinguishes a Repair Café workshop in Chennai and Bengaluru from others is its DIY (Do-It-Yourself) approach. This format helps people understand first-hand what can be repaired and what cannot. Typically, DIY workshops are conducted with familiar participants, but in our case, the team often doesn’t know the attendees or their level of experience in repair and troubleshooting. Since we are still working to popularize the Repair Café concept in Chennai, we currently lack the bandwidth to assess each participant’s skills. However, we observed a great potential in learning and awareness through this format.

Some of the tools were provided by @Kreu_Makerspace.
Photo: RCCI Team

The Event: The Workshop, organised at Goethe-Institut Chennai, was primarily for electrical and electronic repairs. It was organised on the 65th anniversary of Goethe in India. There was a strong set of pre-registrations, and about 20 participants attended 2 sessions-one in the morning half and another in the afternoon half.

Workshop setup and the golden moments it creates, Photo: RCCI Team

Pre-event Briefing is a necessity: The 6 workstation desks with electrical power were set up at Goethe for the participants, and the workshop began. The participants were from mixed backgrounds, as some had no idea about electrical work or the use of tools. The atmosphere was that of excitement and enthusiasm, which is great for such events. Mr. Jithendran, who is a senior mentor from Bengaluru, was managing some of the desks. He felt the need for a pre-workshop briefing, instruction to use the tools to take the participants through the steps of diagnosing and repairing, particularly so that those who did not know about electrical repair work could be prepared. While there were a good number of tools available, more would be needed, as there were six workstations. Each workstation had more than one product and sometimes more than one family or group of participants. In such cases, it would not only be necessary to have the concomitant number of tools as workstations but also as many mentors. All mentors should have a similar background so that each table receives attention throughout the workshop. This remains a challenge and will be addressed as more people join the initiative. With more workshops, some of the learning mentors will also gain maturity and experience. It is also important for the mentors to assess which repairs can be taken up and which should be left out, as some may be too complex for a workshop format like this. For this, a pre-event briefing for mentors would be necessary. As a team, the challenge is to listen to one another and exercise sound judgment.

Repairing an item always brings a deep sense of joy and satisfaction, Photo: RCCI Team

A pre-workshop briefing for participants would encourage a more methodical approach instead of an instant, trial-and-error one: Mr. Jithendran observed that some participants dismantled the products they brought along without first diagnosing the problem. He shared the example of a mother-and-son duo who had brought a couple of extension boxes. In their enthusiasm, they had already opened up the product, and by the time the mentor — in this case, Mr. Jithendran — could turn his attention to them, it had already been dismantled. Also, there were others still who realized that working on electrical repairs needs to be done carefully, in order to ensure that one does not get an electric shock even if it is from a battery. Such an incident did happen as Mr. Ashok, one of the mentors from Repair Cafe Bangalore Foundation received a shock while working on a mosquito bat. The lady who had brought the product was a bit scared to handle the equipment although the mentor carried on. People already understand the risk of electric shock, but they need to be reminded that taking proper precautions is essential — electricity doesn’t announce its presence.

Building connections while repairing, Photo: RCCI Team

Enthusiasm for the Repair Café Workshop: Out of about 20 participants, only a couple showed exceptional enthusiasm — they went out to purchase spare parts, travelling 5 to 10 kilometres from the venue, and returned determined to repair the products they had brought. Their commitment and spirit were truly inspiring, giving the team renewed motivation to continue conducting these workshops.

Discussing, asking, learning — together, Photo: RCCI Team

Reflections on the Workshop: The Repair Café Chennai Team is new and continuously improving its program day by day. Teaming up with institutes like Goethe would help bring Repair Café workshops closer to the general public. There were requests from participants to organize such workshops more regularly. However, this can become a reality only when more volunteers and mentors join us — irrespective of age or gender. Of course, it is our responsibility to take care of their needs. The universal appeal of repairing lies in the satisfaction of knowing that something broken has been fixed. This was visible in the expressions of participants, young and old alike. When they discovered that it was a loose wire, a faulty connection, or a blown fuse causing the problem, the realization that they had reached the root of the issue brought immense joy. These moments — when learning meets accomplishment — make such workshops truly worthwhile for both mentors and participants.

Children imitate the repairing behaviour of their elders, Photo: RCCI Team

We hope that more people will be moved to participate, learn, and carry forward the spirit of repair with the Repair Café Chennai Initiative.