Ananya Panday Reveals 'Kindness Curriculum' to Teach Kids Empathy Through Art

Bollywood star's eco-friendly initiative uses creativity to sow seeds of kindness in young minds

With increasing competition and conflict at a time when the world is already in a state of chaos, actor Ananya Panday is changing the spotlight to empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence — all through the art. On Tuesday, she formally launched the 'Kindness Curriculum', a pioneering education program that seeks to instill the values of kindness and emotional intelligence in little children through the art of creative expression.

Developed by teachers, mental health professionals, and child psychologists, the curriculum incorporates drawing, music, storytelling, and drama to instruct and reinforce empathy — not just for other individuals, but for the world around them and for themselves as well.

"Kindness is strength and not weakness," stated Ananya at the launch. "We always speak about academic success but forget that emotional well-being and sensitivity are equally important. I wanted to introduce something that teaches children to care — for people, animals, and the planet."

The Kindness Curriculum will first be launched in selected government and private schools of Maharashtra and Delhi, with national expansion plans. Modules involve environmental acts of kindness like planting saplings, painting on eco-friendly surface, and writing to nature, in a bid to build both emotional intelligence and environmental sensitivity.

Teachers who attended the pilot workshops said the kids were actually enthusiastic. "They began expressing their emotions and being more respectful of their peer students and surroundings," said an Indian-based primary school teacher. "It was a relief.".

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), are strongly aligned with this project.  By offering a comprehensive framework for sustainable and values-based education that advances both the mind and the planet, it goes beyond emotional literacy.

While the #KindnessIsCool movement gathers steam on social media platforms, Ananya Panday's 'Kindness Curriculum' is turning into more than an initiative driven by a celebrity. It is becoming a timely and powerful movement to turn classrooms into learning spaces that are ecologically aware, emotionally supportive, and empathic.

As the climate crisis worsens and mental health concerns grow among young people, this empathy-based curriculum might well be the quiet revolution that today's schools — and students — require.