Goodwill Tribe: Get blindfolded, talk to strangers and then define them through art

The tribe's Stranger's with Colours event helps promote conversation, friendships and art with reach in 11 cities of five countries 
The Goodwill Tribe regularly conducts other events too to promote kindness and compassion like The letter earthlings and kindness walk
The Goodwill Tribe regularly conducts other events too to promote kindness and compassion like The letter earthlings and kindness walk

You’re in a cafe, having a conversation with someone. What is so peculiar about that, you may ask. Well, you’re blindfolded and you have no clue who are you talking to. But somehow, you love the conversation. You don’t want it to end. After a while, the blindfold is removed and you’re handed papers and you have to make an art that defines the person you were talking to. It can be abstract or even a scribble. No one cares. No one’s there to judge you. 


If this sounds interesting to you, you surely must attend the next edition of Strangers in Colour by The Goodwill Tribe. They just conducted its first chapter on December 3 in Bengaluru, which was a huge success, where 16 enthusiasts along with the organisers and volunteers gathered to get to know strangers at Dialogues Cafe, JP Nagar and build a new kind of connection between them. And what did they find? Absolute bliss, of course.

We caught up with Chandni Salwani, the co-founder of The Goodwill Tribe after the event. She formed the tribe four years ago with Sonia Parekh, an event manager from Dubai. “It was wonderful to see all these people there. One of the participants told me how everyone is very similar on the inside, despite being so unique,” she says. Isn’t that true in a way? 

Happy faces: The participants after the event


Two of the participants were women, who were eight years apart. “After interacting with each other, the older woman felt that her partner was her reflection eight years ago. Imagine that!” says Chandni. 


The next part was about unleashing their inner artist. “They had to define their partner through art. Some made beautiful paintings, while others had touched a pencil for the first time after school. But it was beautiful,” she says. Everyone got to go home with beautiful memories and of course, a good friend.


Now, the tribe’s story. Four years down the line, they have their presence in 11 cities, spread over five countries. Chandni tells us the inspiration behind it. “I always believed that people are beautiful. You just have to give them the space to express themselves and create a balance,” she recalls. Sonia too had a similar outlook. She believed in people supporting each other. When those ideas met, something beautiful was born.

Getting artsy: The participants made artworks representing their partner

Thrilled by the success of Strangers in Colour, they are planning to organise it again in other places too. Watch out for the one in your city.  

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