CHENNAI: Happiness comes in many forms, and for this group in Chennai, this statement is literally true! The Goodwill Tribe, as their name suggests, believe in the purity of kindness and that human connection can change the World. Currently in 10 cities across the world — Dubai, Sydney, London, Kuwait, Bangalore, Mumbai — to name a few, the Chennai chapter was started three years ago by Thangaswathi Arumugam, and her co-founder Shashi. As we meet the young group at one of their events, Letter Earthlings, held in the city recently, we learn more about their activities in Chennai and how they wish to spread Goodwill in the city, one serendipitous human connection at a time.
Arranging colourful papers and bright pens on a table, Swathi elucidates the story behind the initiative, Letter Earthlings. “You might know someone going through a bad time, or is feeling suicidal. You can get in touch with us through our portal, describe the situation and the person to us, and we’ll get to work!” she exclaims.They spread cheer and good vibes through words and letters; they take requests from people who want to make their loved ones feel better. After their monthly letter writing meet-ups, the colourful bunch of letters are decorated and then sent their way. “When someone reads the letter, they will feel that somewhere, someone believes in them and will feel motivated,” says the 25-year-old freelance counsellor, adding that their events are open to anyone with a good heart with some time to spare. “We are not a closed community, people are welcome to join our events!” she quips.
Neeta, a city-based interior designer who regularly requests letters for her friends, feels that through these letters from strangers, people feel good. “We can’t do anything to heal a person’s problems. Our motive is just to let people know they’re not alone. Having moral support gives you the courage to cope up with any of the situation,” she narrates.As the letters are signed off anonymously, or as ‘Love, from Hope’ or ‘From, a Friend’, receivers never know who they’re from. Swathi recollects a moment when they got together to write letters from a grieving colleague who had lost his father, and also his home to the Chennai floods. “I left a bunch of letters in his bag, and he knew it was from my group. He was really happy, and keeps those letters till date,” she smiles.
There are moments when letters are given out spontaneously. “During one of our meetings in a cafe, we saw a girl who was crying to her brother about some issue. We just wrote a letter and left it for her. She was really happy after that, and told us it made her day!” she laughs.Letters aren’t their only weapons of mass benevolence. The Goodwill Tribe loves to do quirky small deeds around Chennai. They hand out Japanese Jars, leave a ‘message in a bottle’ with motivational quotes, and also host events like ‘Blind date with a book’, a completely wrapped book that can be picked up for free! “The ideology behind the Japanese Jar is that every time you give someone a jar, they get more luck. For instance, a jar of Hope, or a jar of Love. It can be anything,” she recollects a time when they once walked up to people in Chennai’s Besant Nagar beach, and handed out jars to a few fighting couples and other visitors.
Get in touch with the group on their Facebook page, The Goodwill Tribe