The World Health Organization estimates that 56 million Indians suffer from depression and 38 million from anxiety disorder. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the severity of mental health crisis was seen throughout the country. In such a bleak scenario, initiatives like March of Magizhchi (March of Happiness) is a pious hope to nurture a positive attitude towards life for many. The project is an initiative taken by the Rotaract Club of Zenith, Chennai. Mary Theresa Karthic (23), a psychology postgraduate and Sergeant-at-Arms of the club is the chairperson of the project and the brains behind it. The project aims to spread happiness and positivity in the lives of those who face mental health challenges.
Shalini S, TwoCircles.net
Chennai: As a senior Rotarian strolls in Elliot’s Beach in Chennai with a bunch of yellow balloons in his hands, kids at the beach come sprinting to him on International Day of Happiness. Sesha Sai (in his fifties), is a Rotarian at the Rotary Club of Madras and an organic farmer.
Rotaract focuses on the development of young adults as leaders in their communities and workplaces.
“We did a smile campaign on the World Happiness Day,” he says and hands me a balloon, written across the balloon in chunky font were the words “Smile, because you are beautiful.”
As the campaign got over, the chairperson of the project, Mary Theresa Karthic, discussed her work, sipping on a hot cup of tea at the Murugan Idli shop. “We are running fast as adults. We are worried about assignments and deadlines. Idolizing hustle culture has ruined the peace of mind for many. We have to dismantle it.”
“We grow less curious about the things that happen around us as we move into adulthood, and to quote Viktor Frankl, I believe, any person, regardless of the circumstances, can decide what shall become of them mentally and spiritually, and I started this project with that in mind,” she says.
In March of Magizhchi (MoM), participants learn to develop interest and keenness for their well–being and happiness by performing different tasks and challenges for consecutive 21 days.
The project involves making the participants experience acts of kindness, and carpe diem (used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future), “The participants in our group are from different socio-cultural backgrounds and we want to create a sense of belonging among them.”
“We have a person with vision impairment with us this year and there is no question of how that person can do a task. The most important thing is for us to create a dialogue between people with different identities,” says Mary.
Why tasks for 21 days alone and not for the entire month? “It’s a fact that if we practice anything fully for 21 days it will become a routine. That’s one reason why the project period is for 21 days alone,” Mary says with a light smile. “And I chose the month of March as International Day of Happiness falls by this month,” she adds.
Mary says that the tasks are more or less like the challenges that are trending online but are mental health-oriented. “For instance, we had a mix match dress challenge a few days back. Sesha Sai Sir was the first one to do it. He sent us a picture of himself in a blazer and shorts with the caption ‘Ready for Zoom meeting.’ It only shows that all are and can be quirky, and create their own sense of happiness and have fun regardless of their age, gender or any other markers.”
MoM kick-started in 2019 and is held every year by March.
This year the project had 78 participants from 43 Rotaract clubs across 10 districts in India, and also included people from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Mauritius and Kenya (the participants are not limited to Rotaractors alone). Apart from the participating countries, the smile campaign was additionally conducted in Ghana, Nigeria, Mexico, Argentina, France and Brazil. The participants are “selected after a screening process according to their mental health needs. We also do pre and post-test assessment, because data is valid. It brings authentication to the project,” she says.
“I wanted to be part of this project because it is unique, particularly in times like this, where most of us are still confined to our house, performing tasks that would enlighten your day is strongly helpful. I am investing my time in this project because I think it will help me come out of my comfort zone and challenge myself with new things,” says Rotaractor Wasiq Masood, from Rotaract Club of Faisalabad City Gold, Pakistan RID 3272.
Another participant from Chennai says, “I have been through a lot and the last few days are the happiest that I have been in the last two years.”
And as a wing to their project, a smile campaign was conducted on International Day of Happiness where the participants of the project distributed yellow balloons with a beautiful message written on them to the people on Elliot’s beach.
The smile campaign was carried out by participants from other countries in their locations too. “We could not gather many people and involve more countries due to Covid restrictions but the campaign we did here was worth it. We made so many people smile and it’s not as easy as you think it is to make someone happy,” says Mary and adds that it “is a privilege to have a platform like Rotaract to have her dream come true.”
The World Health Organization estimates that 56 million Indians suffer from depression and 38 million from anxiety disorder. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the severity of mental health crisis was seen throughout the country. In such a bleak scenario, initiatives like MoM is a pious hope to nurture a positive attitude towards life for many.
The project has won the Innovative Project title for the year 2018-2019 and the Best Club Service Project (community-based) for the year 2019-2020 from the District of RID 3232 in the Annual Awards.
As the sun dawned on Elliot’s beach, yellow balloons were seen hovering above people’s heads on their way to the parking area.