New Delhi, July 17 -- Modern society seems to be in the throes of a quiet invisible crisis. With the shrinking of traditional support structures and collapse of real-time connections in a hyperconnected virtual world, we are grappling with an epidemic of loneliness. A report by the World Health Organisation's Commission on Social Connection, established in 2023, examines the gravity of the situation. It has found that 16% of people worldwide- one in six-have experienced loneliness between 2014-23. In an acknowledgement of the impact of this loneliness on their quality of life, a growing number of people are actively trying to build networks of solidarity. Which is what Laila Zafar, 43, envisioned for single parents such as herself.

In 20...