CHENNAI: How often have we heard that there is no gift more precious than the gift of time? You could spend it talking, playing, watching a movie or just sitting with a person, making them feel that you are available. While it is often misunderstood that the economically backward sections only seek materialistic or monetary benefits, what they also need is some extra time that bridges the two worlds of haves and have-nots. Standing testimony to this is The Kindness Week by The Kindness Foundation.
“It’s a whole week of giving and sharing experiences. There is no monetary or materialistic benefit for partners. They just have to be open to sharing and connecting with the beneficiaries, offer space, and serve or share experiences with them. We want them to share their time, engage and involve themselves,” says Mahima Poddar, founder of The Kindness Foundation.
In its fifth year, The Kindness Week, which began on February 13 and concluded on February 20, spread its wings beyond Chennai to include Mumbai and Virginia, USA, too. Alongside Chennai, the Hyderabad chapter also celebrated this week for the third year. “Our efforts have rippled and people from these cities have joined in. They saw the stories, sought inspiration and decided to do it in their cities,” she adds.
The week that is
When The Kindness Week started in 2018, Mahima had six partners who readily agreed to come on board. This edition had more than 100 partners who collaborated after learning about the past editions of The Kindness Week. The activities ranged from music concerts, indoor play area, art and craft, football, baking and so much more. The activities had children from destitute homes, orphanages and from slums, participate and have a “fantastic time”. One of the partners, Freeze Zone, had the children making their sundaes too. Some activities were also aimed at destitute women and senior citizens.
The idea is to remove the divisive notion of us versus them. Even if the partners are engaging with the beneficiaries, they are expected to do so with respect and dignity, Mahima informs. “The beauty of it is that since there is no money involved, people don’t come in with skepticism. They trust the process. We have so many volunteers. They represent the foundation and make sure that there is full engagement and all of them are happy,” she shares.
One of the highlights of this edition was a concert by Carnatic musician Ragavan Manian and his troupe at the Narada Gana Sabha for senior citizens living in old age homes. “It was an overwhelming concert. At the end of it, they are so full of joy, they get on stage and shower their blessings on the performers. Even the musicians said that though they perform in the December season, they don’t get this kind of feedback,” says Mahima, adding that in the process it is them — the organisers and the partners — who benefit. “This makes the partners come back another time. It is a win-win (situation),” she notes.
Partners & participation
Mahima has been working with people in need for a while now and that gives them the confidence to be a part of this project without hesitation. Though she does admit that initially there was reluctance from the beneficiaries and they were looking for the catch, only to find none. Now they have children asking when is the Week going to be conducted next, and others expressing interest to be a part of the project.
For The Kindness Week, Mahima finds “hidden gems”, as she calls them — those NGOs and communities that don’t get attention — to engage with. When the stories of the week spent with these people find their way to social media, people want to do something for them, like spend their birthday, for example. “If what we do has inspired people to do something on their own, then we have achieved something,” she signs off.
ON BOARD THE PROJECT
Some of their long-time partners include Funky Monkeys, Paint Me Happy Ceramic Studio, Great Goals, Utopia, Writer’s Cafe, Ciclo Cafe, Fat Boy Pizza, storyteller Kavitha Thyagarajan, artist Diana Shatish, drummer Sha and violinist Neil. “So far nobody has said no. When you have guests, you serve them food, right? So we ask our partners to arrange for food. If they cannot, we also have some who come in as food partners. This year, we have had Hyatt Regency, Bread & Chocolate, Radisson, A2B, etc., providing gourmet food. Most of these kids may not have experienced these before,” she says.