Friends Indeed. Our Recent Posts.

Importance of being the person you are. To the youth and to everyone else it’s important to note that you will always be you. What I mean here is everyone is created unique; and everyone is special; and everyone else is already taken so why bother about being someone else when you can be you. In this world of million dilemmas it’s not important that you stay alive but remain sane as well - right through out, and right till the end. It’s usually the original that is priceless even if it’s priced less. Your own home TV channels will beam beauty ads telling you how you can improve your colour, your texture and your look and be just like the person on the ad. Your neighbourhood channels will tell you how someone is special and how some has achieved something which you can only aspire for. Your own fertile brain will look at some else’s car or somebody’s possession and make you yearn for the things they own or possess. The question is not whether this is right or wrong, the question is: Is...

  There is no disaster that cannot become a blessing  and no blessing that cannot become a disaster -  Richard Bach.   The pandemic, a catastrophe we never expected to experience during our lifetimes, continues to challenge us in new ways.   Even during normal times, our societies have been living embodiments of the haves and the have-nots, but the pandemic has widened that divide.  The pandemic has not respected a nation’s geographical boundaries, or its economic prowess, or people’s educational and professional attainments, or their religion and social status, or whether they are young or old and male or female.    The widening chasm between the haves and the have-nots has, ironically enough, impacted all segments of our societies across the world with the children arguably being impacted the most.    Children learn by observing.   When they observe, they understand and internalise what they have and own, and w...

1) Tell us about yourself, your Team Ignite and what you were involved with Friends InDeed and Sukrtam? I have been involved in relief activities right from the Tsunami, wherein I had travelled all along the coastal areas and distributed relief items in Cuddalore, Karaikal, Nagapattinam and Velankanni Team Ignite was formed on the day the 1st lockdown was imposed(25th of March 2020) between classmates, fellow Harley riders and other friends During the second wave this year, I got involved with Friends InDeed/ Sukrtam as I wanted the resources/ knowledge of the members of Friends InDeed to be utilised to the fullest. 2) Tell us more about what is a KIT and why you feel it is important in the current situation? Food is the most important thing after pure air for anyone to survive. The kits we give are to address the eating needs of the economically weaker sections of the society. As we have a decent infrastructure of getting the items at good prices, having them packed and delivered to u...

Eighteen months ago I crossed my fifty-year mark. This is usually a time for stock-taking, reflection and hopefully growth; the body and diet put on some regimen to manage aging, the mind primed to accept some frailty and the spirit freed to explore new things. It did not exactly go that way. The body and senses were stuck in some indulgent gear while the mind and spirit wallowed in old comforts. Why? Upon reflection I attribute my behavior to how I estimated my value. I measure my worth like wealth. In this perspective, my worth is what I have accrued and what I am owed. Of course I see my material wealth too as part of my worth. I see them as tangible values that are cumulated or drained - like inventories. In my middle age I feel I am owed something if not from those who benefitted, from the universe itself. The compromises and sacrifices I think I made to get where I am demand recompense - a lot more time to myself; whimsical spending; or just the freedom to behave selfishly withou...

It’s tough to write-up about sexual harassment cases and even more tougher to put pen to paper if the cases involves children.   I am not qualified or knowledgeable about what is happening with cases pertaining to alleged sexual harassment, and molestation, cases involving certain teachers in certain schools. What I can attempt however is to write about how this can be detrimental for children and their health, especially their mental health (whether they are directly involved or in the centre of these cases).   Let’s face it! We all encounter or have encountered trauma in life at some point in time or the other! There are some of it physical and most of it mental (trauma) too. Trauma in the form of harassment and that too sexual harassment can have long lasting impact (or rather scars) on adults; and what to speak of children!    Ironically it is Children that are most subjected to harassment; be it getting beaten; or getting molested or raped by known people; or si...

To Support the Under Privileged and the Needy  Friends InDeed in association with Sukrtam Foundation has launched a month long (from 15th May 21 to 15 June 21) to collect funds and distribute essential kits in around the vicinity of Chennai. The funds will be collected via Sukrtam Foundation and used to provide essential kits to daily wage earners and under- privileged people have been badly affected due to the current lockdowns. Details on how and where to contribute can be found on the Programs section of this website. So far the group has distributed 1000 kits. Team Friends InDeed.