Every year, the whole world celebrates the month of June as the Pride month; it is dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community and is an optimistic way to create awareness and bust stigma about the non-binary gender spectrum. Joining Pride celebrations this year is Richa Chadha via her new social media initiative, The Kindry — a handle that amplifies individual stories of hope and selflessness in these tough times.

Chadha feels Pride month is all about teaching acceptance, dignity, equality, educating people on Pride history, and most importantly, about love. And through her social media initiative, the Madam Chief Minister actor is doing a range of things. The page has featured stories of individuals like Kushal Roy — a young psychotherapist in Kolkata, who runs a mental health and grief counselling helpline, free of cost. Another feature celebrates a group of youngsters in Kashmir; Uzair, Junaid and Khushi Mir are helping feed the trans community in Kashmir. A third story talks about the journey of Dr. Aqsa Shaikh, the first trans-woman to head a vaccination centre in India. As a medical professional, a philanthropist, and an artiste, she is an inspiration to thousands, Chadha says. The Instagram handle will hold regular live sessions this month to celebrate everyday heroes, who inspire many simply by being themselves.

Chadha says, “Kindness is the need of the hour. We’re all in need of love and hope as we’re still struggling to cope with losses due to the pandemic. With the help of artistes, we hope to bring some virtual cheer to the lives of our everyday heroes too. Pride month in India, this year, has gone virtual because of the global pandemic. On The Kindry, we’re very happy to celebrate the same by covering stories of heroes among the community who are helping one another out during these apocalyptic times.”

She goes on to add that these ordinary stories are moving as they’re full of love and empathy. “Last week, a queer college student from Delhi shared their story of coming out. We received several direct messages from our followers talking about how they felt braver to come out after watching our live session,” she concludes.