Every Wednesday, at the Lifestyle signal on Richmond Road, a corporate group of people greet commuters stuck in traffic with a wave or a hug. These people are employees at The Fuller Life, an HR consultancy that has come up with an initiative to relieve stress for themselves and fellow commuters.

The agency works specifically on recreation based employee engagements and internal communications. "When we started this a few weeks ago, it caught a lot of attention and after a point, many who are regulars on this route actually started looking out for us and responding. Many also started bringing in their family and friends and cheered them up too. It is an absolute kick for us also,'' Asha Mavinasara, one of the employees of the agency, said.

Grumpy commuters, instead of complaining about the long wait at the signal, were amused by the enthusiasm of the lot. Many waved, many gave free hugs and some even wished that the wait at the traffic signal got longer.
Asha walked away with four hugs on Wednesday. People waved at them from autos, two wheelers, four wheelers and bicycles. Many did not want to miss out on that free hug before beginning a hectic day.

"The response is just getting better. Somehow, the concept never feels old and people are seen looking happier by the day," Sunitha Wilson, another employee, said.

Monica George, who works at an HR consultancy firm in Electronics City, manages to squeeze in some time before going for work to display placards. The placards say, "Keep Smiling through the day," "Traffic signal takes thirty seconds while a smile takes one", "Have a nice day", "Free Hugs".

Aamir, a student of St Joseph's College who was on a motorbike, said, "This is the best way one can start their day.'' Even the traffic cop couldn't stop smiling looking at the enthusiasm of the volunteers.

Reproduced from Bangalore Mirror