Great to see Ankit in the The NY Times! The story doesn't start far enough back, but those in Laddership Circles would be quite familiar with it -- but inspiring to see the ripples onwards and outwards. :) 
 

Feeling Lonely? Perhaps You’d Like to Talk to Some Strangers - The New York Times To fight isolation, several groups are working to create in-person connections by bringing strangers together.

For public health officials, there’s an urgent need to heed that call. Dr. Vivek Murthy, a former Surgeon General of the United States, called loneliness an “epidemic” and told The Washington Post that its health impact was as severe as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Others have linked chronic loneliness to weakened immune systems, worsened cognitive function and an increased risk of cancer.

Some researchers doubt loneliness is higher today than it has been in the past, but recent surveys reveal surprising statistics. Of 20,000 Americans surveyed in the 2018 Cigna U.S. Loneliness Index, more than half claimed to persistently feel lonely or left out. Fifty-four percent said they sometimes or always feel as if no one knows them well. And while many assume loneliness most severely affects the elderly, the survey suggested that adults between 18 and 37 are much lonelier.