> Sangath​

> India

>FINALIST

Team Members:

​
Aahana Banker,

Aishwarya Mahadevan,

Lakshita Munjal, 

Vidhi Bansal

It’s always advised that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But what if this “lemon” was a predefined and palpable problem, and turning it into “lemonade” everyday would teach you to interact with your society. Maybe then, your ignorant soul would learn to contribute to the world around you?

The pandemic of loneliness has spread because people have become so self- involved that they forget to even look up at the world that surrounds them. Now, what would happen if your beloved (but, lethal) electric connections and internet services, which are the root causes of this endemic, were snatched away from you for a specific period of time every day?

You are then given just one option to bring back your lost companions, and that is to perform community activities with the people in your context, that contribute to the betterment of the environment. Existing billboards announce the community activity for the day (ranging from the plantation of 50 trees within an hour, or cleaning a nearby lake), which gets you out into the street. Each engagement lasts no longer than half an hour; and your absence cuts your electrical line off until the completion of the next activity. Only emergency calling and medical machines remain functional.

This engagement enables the community to work together to achieve a greater good, driving them to leave all their inhibitions behind to complete the activity. We imagine a world that has to be taken care of- by all its people, who work together to provide solutions. This, then makes them aware of the importance of leaving all of their constraints behind to interact with each other, the environment and in consequence, with the world. Making people realise that their personal benefit is a result of a larger community engagement, is the first step toward eliminating loneliness from society.