World Kindness Day 2025: 5 Indians share personal experiences of kindness online

In a time when the internet is often seen as a pool of negativity the stories of human connection found online offer a powerful and heartwarming counternarrativeEvery year World Kindness Day is observed on November 13 This year we set out to challenge the hostile perception of social media and discover everyday acts of compassion that genuinely move peopleFrom a poets memory of a stranger who offered a hungry boy food dignity and a conversation to a life coach sharing a story of a global community providing deep nonjudgmental comfort to a grieving daughter during the pandemic readers share the most heartwarming and supportive acts of kindness theyve come across onlineThe quiet power of being seenFor Gunjan Saini a poet storyteller and actor the kindest thing she saw was a simple unfiltered video about presence and dignity A group of friends were sitting by the roadside just chatting and eating their evening snacks Suddenly a small boy approached one of them and politely asked if he could have some food Without hesitation one of the men got up smiled and asked him to sit The man didnt stop there He bought the boy a plate and in a beautiful gesture sat beside him while he ate He listened to his stories asked him questions and made him feel seen This wasnt content for the camera but a conversation between two humans The man later quietly packed extra food for the boy and his family There were no big speeches or grand declarations just a simple act that probably made the boyrsquos day and eased things at home for one night Saini recallsThis particular act of kindness which prioritised genuine human interaction over performative generosity encapsulates the surprising power of digital media capturing authenticity She believes kindness feels louder in the digital sphere because of the contrast Kindness feels louder in a space where negativity is so common It melts your heart not because the gesture is huge but because it reminds you that empathy still exists And whatrsquos even more beautiful is when you see the whole community in the comments cheering for that kindness Strangers appreciating strangers restores a little faithOrganised generosity The Quickbuild kitAnita Nayyar who is an Indian actress model and founder of ANT Management witnessed a remarkable act of coordinated practical generosity on a creative forum The single most heartwarming act of online kindness Irsquove witnessed was in a small creative forum when a junior makeup artist posted in tears that her kit had been stolen the night before a shootrdquo she remembers fondlyThe events that followed was a marvel of spontaneous organisation A stranger someone with no mutuals and no obvious upside spun up a simple spreadsheet within minutes By the next afternoon her kit was functionally rebuilt There was no fanfare no saviour narrative just dozens of tiny practical actions stitched together by people who would never meet her It was moving precisely because it was ordinary generosity organised well says NayyarShe highlights the platforms ability to facilitate organised immediate and loweffort contributions and how collective action transforms the impersonal internet into a supportive place ldquoKindness stands out because it violates our expectations of a negative platform and it often converts weak ties into tangible outcomes Low friction plus visible impact turns spectators into participants and participation turns platforms from stages into neighbourhoods Nayyar muses A virtual neighbourhood of supportSonica Aron founder and managing partner of Marching Sheep was moved by the rapid collective effort on a professional networking site A few months ago I came across a post on LinkedIn that stopped me midscroll It was about a young woman who had lost her job She wrote honestly about her anxiety her worries her disappointment says AronThe response was immediate and overwhelming She elaborates Within hours hundreds of people she had never met started sharing her post tagging recruiters and even offering to review her resume A week later she posted again this time to thank everyone She had received three interviews and found a job I was struck by how the online community rallied without expecting anything in return She notes that kindness online doesnt need familiarity it just needs humanity For me that moment reminded me what social media can bemdasha bridge not a battlefield I saw it as a virtual neighbourhood where empathy could travel faster than gossipShe explains why kindness creates such a strong impact on platforms often associated with noise Kindness online stands out because it creates a powerful contrast Itrsquos like a breath of fresh air after being stuck in a crowded room Itrsquos a moment of humanity cutting through the algorithm She adds that these acts are often seen as unfiltered and genuine which restores trust When one person shows kindness it builds a small island of psychological safety for others Aron concludesA sacred space for shared griefFor Dr Kartik Nagendraa a certified life coach and CMO at Melento the most impactful act of kindness was quiet and deeply human occurring on a mental health support forum during the pandemic A young woman had posted about losing her father to Covid and feeling utterly lost Within minutes strangers from across the world began to respond mdash not with cliches or stay strong quotes but with stories of their own loss empathy and simple presenceThe kindness was personal and profound One woman in Dubai offered to check in every evening for a week Someone else from India a total stranger mailed her a handwritten letter with a pressed flower inside saying grief shared is love multipliedrdquo he says Nagendraa notes the power of this conscious digital connection Technology often accused of isolating us can also become a bridge for deep human connection when used consciously The anonymity of the internet can make cruelty easy mdash but it can also make honesty possible He believes kindness is a pause in the noise cutting through the emotional overload When kindness appears it surprises us It disarms the part of us thatrsquos always braced for conflict When someone pauses to listen defend a stranger or share resources with no reward it rekindles trust in human goodness Nagendraa sharesAttention as the simplest currencyAbhijit Kaur managing partner at Gnothi Seauton saw kindness expressed through thoughtful attention There was this video of a few twentyyearolds playing cricket in their colony The next day those boys changed the setup and invited each delivery guy to play six balls with one rule donrsquot get out The happiness on their faces said everything It was such a small thing but it showed how kindness doesnrsquot need money or effortmdashjust attention she reminiscesKaur summarises why these moments resonate so deeply Because kindness feels human It reminds you that behind all the noise people still care That contrast between what the internet often is and what we wish it could be is what makes those moments powerfulThese stories affirm that the internet isnt just a place for arguments or criticism it is a space where compassion can travel quickly where lowfriction generosity can spark hundreds of positive reactions and where a quiet act of shared humanity can restore a little faith in the world