Talking about Art, Poetry and the importance of Self Care

PAINT ME A CANVAS: ON ART, POETRY AND SELF-CARE

By Sukanya Sharma Adwaita Das, Meghna Prakash, and Shyama VS are young artists who openly talk about mental health through their art, poetry and illustrations. Adwaita Das is an author, film-maker and artist; Shyama is a designer who worked on a…

The Artidote on instagram

On Empathy and Valuing EQ: Meet The Artidote Founder Jova Ferreryra

Jovanny “Jova” Varela Ferreyra is the founder of The Artidote, an incredible site, which in its own words: “Launched in 2015 as a virtual space where to story-tell, empathize, bond and heal through art, today The Artidote community has become…

Unsplash Photo on Yoga

How to Own Your Story and Move Beyond a Diagnosis of Depression or BPD

By Amrita Tripathi Last weekend at the Jaipur Literature Festival, it was a privilege to speak to Dr Shelja Sen, well-known psychologist, co-founder of Children First, and the author of Reclaim Your Life, as well as Shabri Prasad Singh, the…

Mpower and Chal Rang De create the Art Express project in Mumbai

Art Express: Mental Health Awareness One Brush Stroke at a Time

By Sukanya Sharma It was an unusual Sunday in Bandra, Mumbai thanks to an art project called ‘Art Express’, organised by Mpower in collaboration with Chal Rang De (a non-profit that seeks to transform communities using art). With the aim…

Homesickness and loneliness

Urban Life: Is Homesickness Making You Sick?  

By Sukanya Sharma In the late 17th century, the term ‘nostalgia’ was coined by a Swiss physician named Johannes Hofer, according to this fascinating article in The Atlantic. “A longing to be back home”, nostalgia was “considered a psychopathological disorder”…

Creating Art: From Self-Expression to Healing

By Jerin Jacob  “This is SO overwhelming. I need my book! and my colours! I need to switch off, right now!” We all have times when we absolutely, completely zone out and need a break, or rather, some me-time. ‘Me-time’…

Heart Mothers: Adoption and Maternal Mental Health

By Swarnima Bhattacharya There are as many motherhoods as there are mothers. Their subjectivity, journeys and experiences all mould and galvanise, defining the experience of motherhood in a multiplicity of ways. Despite being an intensely personal, fluid experience, motherhood is…

Wheelchair Cricket: Go Team India!

By Sukanya Sharma It is double the celebration — India just won the Asia Cup, just over a week after Team India won the Wheelchair Cricket Asia cup. Here are excerpts of an interview with the coach of the team,…

Rebooting Wellness

RebootWellness is a Gurgaon-based venture which aims to provide easy and affordable mental healthcare. Devanik Saha interviews Monika Chowdhry to find more about their approach to mental healthcare, and some of the larger problems they are trying to address. Read…

The Freedom Series: Coming to Terms With Your Sexuality

By Devanik Saha First, a shocking reality check. Two of every 3 queer persons reported hearing homophobic comments in their workplace, according to this 2016 LGBT Workplace Climate Survey, conducted by the Mission for Indian Gay & Lesbian Empowerment. That’s not…