Rotaractors spread love with free hugs Kiran Zehra
I
f you happen to be at Khao Galli, near Ram mandir, or a mall, or at a local park in Bhubaneswar on a Sunday evening you will find a group of Rotaractors holding placards offering ‘Free Hugs,’ or an invitation saying ‘Let’s talk,’ and even positive affirmations such as ‘This too shall pass’. All these are part of RID 3262’s Rotaract initiative to spread mental health awareness and help people feel better.
Rotaractors displaying placards. 18 ROTARACT NEWS JANUARY 2023
It was DRR Abhilash Boitai’s idea to start a mental health awareness programme in his district. “It's not unusual to experience mood swings after being through Covid. It can take a while to process what we've been through — sickness, loss of a family member or friend, loss of job, low or no income. We wanted to reach out to everyone and let them know that they are not alone and that together we can all get through the bad times,” he says.
