Healing minds, Spreading smiles
For Rotaractors of RID 3011, service this year included reaching the minds, touching emotions and creating human connections.
At the heart of this effort was Zindagi Unfiltered, a four-day mental health conclave presented by the district and led by ZRR Harnoor Kaur, with the Rotaract Club of SGTB Khalsa College as host. Designed as a safe, non- judgemental space, the online conclave brought together Rotaractors for honest conversations and quiet introspection.
From sessions like Safe Space — Conversations That Heal to Dear Me and Soul Awakening, the event encouraged participants to pause and look inward. Yoga, mindful breathing, counselling and journalling formed the backbone of the programme, guided by mental health experts.
One of the most talked-about elements was the ‘human library,’ a concept gaining traction globally, where participants ‘borrow’ real people as living books and have honest, unscripted conversations with them. “It addresses people’s prejudices by helping them talk to those they would not normally meet,” says Kaur. Imagine sitting across from someone whose life experience is entirely unlike your own — a recovering addict, a person living with a disability, a survivor — and simply listening. No agenda. No judgement. Just understanding. “When you sit across someone and listen to their story, barriers dissolve in a way no lecture can achieve.”
Coinciding with Children’s Day, Project Muskurahat, led by ZRR Divyanshu Katiyar saw 87 Rotaractors across seven clubs and seven locations come together to spend the day with children at orphanages and care centres. “Each club designed its own activity. The idea was not just to distribute things, but to create moments the children would remember,” says Katiyar. Alongside games, children received clothes, stationery, snacks, and chocolates. In each location, between 50 and 100 children participated, their excitement turning ordinary spaces into vibrant playgrounds.
Complementing the project was Ahaar Daan, a three-day zonal initiative led by ZRR Mahi Azad and organised by the Rotaract Club of DPSRU. Marking Children’s Day with compassion, the drive combined food distribution with health check-up, dental camps, games and celebrations across multiple locations.
