World Mental Health Day: Bengaluru-based rock band to release song for awareness

BENGALURU: In a country of 1.2 billion people, one in five Indians encounters some sort of mental illness. And all that India has are an estimated 10,000 trained mental health professionals. When the gap's that huge and there's no immediate fix, the next best thing, perhaps, is to raise awareness.

In a couple of weeks, Bengaluru-based Indian folk rock band Swarathma will be attempting that, with a special number, Main Unme se Nahin Hoon, accompanied by a music video on how society deals with issues related to mental illness.

“The song is a hard-hitting track to evoke strong reactions in people and become a conversation starter,“ said Jishnu Dasgupta, 37, band member (base guitar and vocals).“Listening to it and watching the video will make people stop and think.“

The aim, he said, is to invoke inclusiveness of those suffering from mental issues, while not being preachy .

Swarathma's gig will be part of the Moving Minds initiative hosted by the White Swan Foundation, a city-based nonprofit that has Mindtree cofounder Subroto Bagchi as chairman. It will combine music, art and culture to raise awareness on mental health for three consecutive Saturdays beginning October 15. Details will be available on the foundation's Facebook page.

World Mental Health Day is on October 10. White Swan Foundation is seeking to bring about a mindset shift on mental health problems, a wide ar ray of illnesses such as depression, Schizophrenia, autism, dementia and bipolar disorders that largely remain undiagnosed because they are barely understood.

Manoj Chandran, chief executive of the foundation, is hoping that through music and other platforms they will be able to influence a mass movement. “The song is a reflection of the reality surrounding mental illness in our society today . It will touch upon stigma that is so deep rooted in society that we don't even realise its existence," said Chandran, 47. Mental health has always been perceived as a rich man's problem, said Bagchi, 59, who has had firsthand experience with his father battling mental illness.“Understanding is the beginning of freedom,“ he said.

White Swan Foundation will look to expand its initiative beyond Bengaluru. “Once the ground is tested here, we will rapidly extend our reach to regional languages, other metros and cities and rural India,“ Bagchi said of his larger vision to tackle a disease that has sparse social infrastructure for support and substantial stigma, the reason for about half of even serious mental illness remain untreated in the country .