World Kindness Day 2021: History and significance of special day

World Kindness Day is celebrated throughout the world to promote sympathy and compassion towards people. This special day is annually observed on 13 November as part of the World Kindness Movement in improving many lives.

At a time when social media has become a platform where people troll and directly hate each other, the act of kindness has become a rarity. So, this day is to remind people across the world that simple acts of appreciating someone’s efforts can make them happy.

Along with spreading kindness, the day also aims to highlight the good deeds in the community. Through these good deeds, people can spread positivity and the common thread of kindness. This simple act is nothing but bridging the gap of race, religion, gender, and location.

Today, India observes World Kindness Day along with other countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the UAE.

History

World Kindness Day was first commemorated in the year 1998 by an organisation called the World Kindness Movement. It was formed at a Tokyo conference in 1997 of like-minded kindness organisations.

In the United Kingdom (UK), this special day is organised by Kindness UK, which is a not-for-profit organisation. For the uninitiated, Kindness Day UK was declared on 13 November, 2010. As people across the world came to know about the day, the event grew in popularity especially in schools, charities, institutions, and some businesses being part of it.

Significance

For both, the receiver and the person who does the act, being kind is a win-win situation especially during a hard time. Furthermore, there are several ways where one can project their kindness and also inspire others to follow the same. For example, being kind to your neighbour in times of trouble or being patient to old people/senior citizens. Small efforts can make a big difference in people’s lives also in a simple conversation or perhaps in a message.