Actor Karthi is auctioning his favourite guitar for a cause. Maybe you can be its next owner

The auction will also have an NFT collection to give overseas fans of Karthi an opportunity to possess something that belonged to the actor

As a 10-year-old, actor Karthi Sivakumar received a Givson acoustic guitar as a present from his mother. Today, more than three decades later, the guitar continues to be one of his most prized possessions. But now he is parting with it for a cause — to raise funds for Chennai-based Wasted 360 Solutions that focusses on collecting and processing zero-value waste. 

“Karthi sir’s family has been recycling with us, sending us dry waste. And that’s how we approached him,” says Ann Anra, who started Wasted 360 Solutions in 2018 and recently set up operations in Bengaluru. The Waste to Value auction is part of a fundraiser by the organisation, for its Sand to Glass project, among others. “We need two machines that convert the glass we collect into sand. Each of these machines cost ₹3 lakhs. Through this project we want to create livelihoods for self-help groups,” says Ann.

For the auction, the guitar underwent a month-long makeover and is now bathed in swathes of black, white, lavender with themes depicting women and Nature. “It is a non functional guitar, so we upcycled it and made it a piece of art,” explains Ann, who roped in her friend and actor Shamilee to do the artwork. The two had earlier worked together as child artistes in the Tamil film Thayin Manikodi.

To give fans of Karthi an opportunity to possess something that belonged to the actor, the auction will also have an NFT collection (on Naksh Marketplace). This includes 24 photo prints of Karthi with his guitar as a 20-year-old. The print also has Shamilee’s signature. The bidding for these start at $300. Additionally, there is a close up print of the actor signing the guitar. This one starts at $1,000, while the physical guitar starts at ₹60,000. These also come with handwritten notes from Karthi and Shamilee.

The guitar will be on display at Wasted 360 Solutions’ office and thrift shop in T Nagar. The auction will be on till October 30, on Instagram. But people can also send bids via email, WhatsApp or directly at the shop. The NFT collection will go live on November 1 on naksh.com

For details, check out @indiawasted on Instagram.