12 November,2022 09:45 AM IST | Mumbai | Sammohinee Ghosh
Representation pic
When Mark Twain, one of the greatest American humorists, said that kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and blind can see, he was stating hard facts. Kindness speaks a universal lingo indeed. International Kindness Day was founded in 1998 by a coalition of kindness-oriented NGOs across nations. With its focus on celebrating the common thread of tolerance, generosity and belongingness that binds human beings together, the day is observed in Australia, Canada, Italy, UAE and India. In keeping with the spirit of the day, Mumbai-based celebrities talk about their big and small acts of kindness that helped them, and others, find joy.
My wife [Meghana Bhogle] and I are huge animal lovers. We have always taken care of strays around Peddar Road, where we live. For us, a serious journey started in 2019. We founded the page, Goodest Boys of Mumbai - it's here that we create fictional stories about the cats and dogs we feed. The page has allowed us to create a supportive community of animal lovers, activists and organisations. As champions of adoption and fostering, we are now parents to dog Bagel and cat Kurkure. The network that we have built has helped us get many rescued animals adopted. I think there's no greater joy than saving a life.
During COVID-19, when I would volunteer for an organisation called Artistes for Artistes. We went about distributing ration packets to artistes in need. I was part of their distribution network. Although I could only contribute to a larger act of kindness initiated by singer-songwriter Prince Mulla and his team, I am certain that the efforts helped many people sustain in that terrible time of need. I have delivered packets to people who had worked with me or my friends. The proximity of the problem and our ignorance about it stunned me.
Recently, I discovered an online course by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth on studio.com. It was a comprehensive course and I thought it could have been of help if someone had enrolled me into it during my initial days in the field. Followers interested in music production often hit me up with different queries; I am not able to address their doubts all the time. So, I bought the technical course for a couple of my followers [chosen randomly] from my list hoping that they would benefit from it.
I believe in adding value to human life through my work. During the pandemic, we used the proceeds from our BreatheSafe Masks to facilitate the cause of female hygiene for young girls in rural areas of Maharashtra. Since schools were shut, these girls had to return to their homes in the village and they had no access to sanitary pads or medical aid. Along with masks, we donated pads to them. We have been associated with Shake It Up For Parkinson's for three years now. Parkinson's patients are fatigued by the whole process of dressing up. It's tough on their caregivers, too. With our design intervention, we have been able to bring down dress time for such patients from 45 to 12 minutes.
