Hyderabad: UDAAN festival attempts to de-stigmatise mental health

The event brought together the community of mental health professionals, students, allies and alike over art, music, thought and experiences, under one-roof.

Hyderabad: People painting on canvas, children’s laughter, folks dancing their hearts out, positive and inclusive conversations around mental health, music and stand-up performances— these were the scenes at the Exhibition Grounds, Nampally on Sunday.

With the dialogue around mental health becoming better in the recent times, the city hosted a first of its kind mental health festival ‘UDAAN’, as an attempt to de-stigmatise mental health and build a positive, constructive dialogue around it.

Organised by the non-profit, the Bright Side Foundation, the event brought together the community of mental health professionals, students, allies and alike over art, music, thought and experiences, under one-roof.

“You see people frequently misinterpret the terms ‘mental issues’ and ‘mental health’ and use them in the same context. We call it the ‘mental health festival‘ as the event attempts to celebrate the positive attributes of mental health, mental well-being and advocates self-care,” says Swetha Desiraju, founder of the Bright Side.

The fest included nine sessions, each of which were fun and focused on a different aspects of mental health. The session ‘Whose Cues’ emphasised on people experiencing emotions differently, with individuals vetting a sense of self expression and self love. ‘Inside Eight’ was another session that focused on helping one understand their emotions inside out and guide one towards happiness in eight simple steps.

‘Movement is Universal’ engaged the participants with dance therapy which teaches people to live in the moment and connect with themselves. ‘Art Station’ was where people expressed themselves through their sketches. The stories from the ‘Story Time’ session enthralled the audience.

“People don’t prioritise their mental health as much as they do their physical health. Like we have gyms to take care of our physical health, I hope these kind of events are conducted often since it is important to have mental health related conversations frequently,” said Uday, one of the participants.

There was also an event for children called ‘Taare Zamren Par’ that emphasised on understanding their emotions in a fun yet effective approach of creating origami pieces. A ‘Drag lab’ which included performances from Patruni Sastry, and others.

“It’s vital for children to understand and express their emotions at an early age. Self-expression, gratitude, feeling belonged, practicing gratitude, balancing feelings is all what we are attempting to preach,” said Fizahussain, a city-based psychologist.

The day concluded with a performance line-up by an open mic by stand-up comic Syed Bashaar, a live band performance by ‘Nations Rock Beat’, and other singing performances.