Friendship Day, a special celebration honouring close companions, is observed every year in India on the first Sunday of August. The day celebrates companionship, trust and loyalty beyond blood relationships. This year, Friendship Day falls on August 2, offering people an opportunity to cherish meaningful connections and appreciate those who stand by them through both joyful and challenging times.
The idea of celebrating friendship dates back nearly a century. In 1930, Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, first proposed dedicating a day to friendship. Later, on July 20, 1958, Dr Ramon Artemio Bracho proposed celebrating friendship during a dinner with friends in Puerto Pinasco, Paraguay. In 1998, Nane Annan named Winnie the Pooh the world's Ambassador of Friendship at the United Nations. The International Day of Friendship, observed annually on July 30, was formally proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2011 to recognise friendship as a means of promoting peace and building bridges between communities.
On the occasion of Friendship Day, actress Kangana Ranaut and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi grabbed attention with their social media posts.
Kangana Ranaut, who has been at the centre of a debate over her remarks on Gen-Z, shared an interaction with two young women at a gym, saying the conversation made her reiterate that "freedom needs accountability."
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Kangana revealed that she recently met two Gen-Z girls who told her that, having grown up in the digital age, it was difficult for them to imagine life without social media, Instagram, dating apps and AI.
The Queen actress said she told them that everyone is free to live life the way they want, as long as they do not end up harming others. Referring to recent cases of violence involving young people, including the Ketan Agarwal case and the 'blue drum' case, Kangana stressed that personal freedom must go hand in hand with responsibility.
Sharing the conversation, she wrote, "Today in the gym I met 2 Gen-Z girls who I know. They asked me, 'Kangana Didi, we are born in the digital age and yes, social media, Instagram, dating apps, AI and all are a way of life for us. Most of us are using them and some of us can't live differently now. Everyone wants the freedom to live their life the way they want.' I told the curious young women that yes, you are free to live your life as long as you don't throw others' children off a cliff or cut them into many pieces. Since there are too many cases where the liberal way of life and the conservative way of life are clashing, and too many children are getting killed for no fault of theirs, it's a big concern for us. They agreed that freedom needs accountability. Happy Friendship Day to my Gen-Z friends. Peace out."
Kangana's latest remarks come days after she sparked a massive controversy by calling Gen-Z the "gutter generation", triggering widespread backlash and protests against the actress.
Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also grabbed attention with a Friendship Day post aimed at connecting with the younger generation.
Taking to Instagram, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha shared a photo of himself making the popular Korean finger heart gesture and wrote, "Still a student, still learning something new every day. Today's lesson: it's Friendship Day and this is a heart. Happy Friendship Day, everyone. Lots of love!"
The post quickly went viral, garnering over 3.24 lakh likes and thousands of comments. While many users appreciated the gesture, others reacted with humour. Comments ranged from "Korean finger heart" and "Now bro is entering Gen-Z era" to "Pookie leader" and "Saranghae oppa," while several users praised Rahul Gandhi for embracing youth culture.
