Tamil Nadu governor R.N. Ravi addresses a gathering during a Red Cross Society event in Chennai on Wednesday
| Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Wednesday (February 12, 2025) said given the inherent goodness of Indian people and the enormous potential in our society, Indian Red Cross Society will be a catalyst and a force to activate and harness this goodness for the larger world of humanity.
Speaking at an event, Mr. Ravi, who is also the president of Indian Red Cross Society, Tamil Nadu branch, spoke about the organisation’s beginnings and highlighted some of the emerging challenges. “Together, we need to start tackling these new challenges. There are opportunities before us, because goodness and service are inherent characteristics of our people. They are innate in our culture and have been bequeathed to us, since several thousand years ago, by our great ancestors, who taught us the lesson that the entire creation is a family.”
He said the Red Cross Society has a lofty ideal, which is essentially encoded in the DNA of every Indian — service to humanity. He also stressed the need to take the message of serving others to schoolchildren and college-goers and motivate them to become a volunteer.
Ravi terms T.N. ‘suicide capital’
Mr. Ravi further said: “Tamil Nadu has become the suicide capital of the country. The national average of suicide is 12 in one lakh population, but in Tamil Nadu we have over 36 suicides in one lakh, which is more than double the national average. There is an extreme amount of socio-economic distress, and it is inflicting huge costs,” he added.
Justice. M. Jaichandren, former judge of the Madras High Court and chairman of Indian Red Cross Society, Tamil Nadu branch, listed out the various achievements of the managing committee in reviving the organisation. He said Red Cross Society is operating in 192 countries with more than 100 million volunteers across its network globally, and is functioning as the largest humanitarian service organisation in the world.
Mr. Ravi unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and presented awards to winners of the Geneva Convention competition on the occasion.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
Published – February 12, 2025 04:37 pm IST
