“When we see someone smiling, we think that the person is happy but in reality, it’s not true. Sometimes, smiles work as the best mask to cover what is going on inside. Nowadays, many people are facing mental health issues but they do not discuss it, which makes their conditions even worse. Hence, to create awareness regarding mental health, I came out from the blanket of Jammu and Kashmir.
Being a younger student, it was challenging for me to help people struggling with mental issues and convince them to speak about their problems. To help them effectively, I started reading books, browsed a lot of research materials available on the internet, and reached out to people.
I remember, last year when I joined a webinar as a guest speaker everyone was spamming the chat section with “Dr. Strange is back!” That moment made me happy not only because people are appreciating me but also for recognising the Mental Health as a noble cause. They called me Dr. Strange for reason; one of them stated that “You are changing the mindset of people”.
My journey began in 2019 when I started my organization “Maunitva Nirakarn”. One day, I saw my classmate seated in a corner with a lot of jumbled thoughts in his mind, I could see the strain on his shoulder and that was my calling. I, then started a campaign at local level by conducting a talk series. Soon, I started moving to different cities as well as overseas. Meanwhile, promoted the ancient methods and also discovered Sangeetha Chikithsa to cure mental health issues.
This journey has taught me three important factors to become a changemaker. The first was decision making, the second was time and skill and the third was risk-taking. No matter how big the issue is, it becomes tiny when we are supported by friends and family. I would like to mention KOA Youth (Roshni Koul and Shubhankar Peshin) and Team JK Media (Zoddie and Priyanka) as they helped me reach masses and spread Mental Health Awareness.
Seeing people, smiling from inside renders me a lot of happiness. It is my mission to bring happiness and lend helping hands to those in need. It may be challenging but it’s definitely not impossible.”