THE ICE BREAK CHALLENGE

Tired of the hectic city life, an acquaintance has decided to invest in a small house in his hometown. ‘I want to lead an organic, unhurried life in my old age,’ he says. Now I don’t judge him for wanting to realise his own whitepicket-fence dream, a suburban lifestyle that comes with the extra trimmings of an idyllic community way of life – affable neighbours, quaint grocery stores, roadside eateries and amenities that are rich in history but functional nevertheless. But I did begin to wonder about what stopped him from realising some of it in the city he is living in right now.

The train of thought made me think of why and at what stage of our urban lives we lose touch with our human sensibilities. If you think I’m being pejorative, let me paint you a picture: You’ve just gotten into a crowded elevator, check if the button to your floor has been pressed already, and then stand there in deathly silence along with the rest waiting to get off. Look around and you’ll notice all eyes are either trained on the scrolling numbers or on everyone else’s feet. No eye contact is made, no greetings exchanged. This scene is played out day in and day out and we all seem to be OK with it. People, I feel, have forgotten the art of breaking the ice unless there is a purpose. And it is for this reason that I was totally floored by the Pink Mango Project (on

page 24), created by a group of millennials whose only aim is to put a smile on people’s faces. So whether it is through giving out hugs, flowers and stress balls to perfect strangers, or organising a day out for the underprivileged, these bunch of youngsters have proven that simple acts of kindness don’t need deep pockets – just good intentions.

What impressed me even more was the fact that they are not looking for funds but volunteers. Now that is one way to break the wall we’ve all created around us.

Until next week,