NGOs walk the mental health talk
Nami India, Karmayog organise walk to mark World Mental Health Day
Supriya Thanawala
Marine Drive

A group of at least 15 people including teenagers and adults went on a purposeful morning walk on Sunday. Members from different NGOs, including BJP member Shaina N C, walked from the NCPA auditorium to Oxford Bookstore, Churchgate, at 8.34 am to spread awareness about mental health on the occasion of `World Mental Health Day'.

The event was organised by two city-based NGOs, Nami India and Karmayog. The walk was followed by an interactive session at the Cha Bar of the bookstore where the participants expressed their opinions on the topic.

"It was a silent walk up to the bookstore," said Akhila Maheshwari, a member of Nami. "It was nice to see that people turned up, even though it was a Sunday!" she said. Shashank Kumar, a resident of Marine Lines who joined the walk, said he enjoyed it, including the talks that followed later. "Iwould like to in fact join them in their endeavours now," he said.
Goi Royer, a FrenchCanadian teacher who is currently in the city teaching design at a private school in the suburbs, said he enjoyed the event and the spirit of the city really moved him. "The people here are extremely lively, unlike in Shanghai where I was living before coming to Mumbai," he said.

Anjali Chabaria, a consulting psychologist, spoke about how important it was for the society to accept people who seem different and may be suffering from mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia and others.
"Often members of the family exclude mentally challenged people from social gatherings. People also feel there is a stigma about visiting a psychiatrist. These notions should change," she added.

"I would like to help people because I can understand the pain - these emotions are the kind which all of us can relate to," said Shashank further.

DNA : 10/10/05