Priti Srivastava is an industry stalwart and DayaRani is a tribute to her parents. She has been an active participant in many sustainable causes along with her immaculate professional career of three decades.

Founder's Profile

Priti Srivastava, a seasoned advocacy stalwart founded DayaRani as a heartfelt tribute to her parents. With a distinguished professional career spanning more than three decades, she has actively championed numerous sustainable causes while shattering many glass ceilings as a Public Affairs professional.

Driven by her dream to foster emotional growth within the community, she established DayaRani as a platform for empowerment and healing. A firm believer in Individual Social Responsibility, she advocates that self-healing is a conscious choice essential for overcoming emotional barriers and achieving mental wellness.

To bring impactful, skill-based solutions to the community, this think tank is collaborating with professionals in the field of mental health, Vedic science and communications ensuring a holistic approach to emotional well-being.

Letter from the Founder

Do you mind if I talk about mine?

Most people struggle with mental health issues from time to time. What used to be a taboo, is now one of the most widely accepted reasons for a lot of what plagues us. However, it still is not a reality in our country. Since 2020, there has been a growing need in me to go inward, understand my own mind so that I could begin to speak about the importance of having open and honest conversations about what goes on in our homes. By our homes, I mean our minds. The reason I call them our homes is because of the connotation. After a long day at work, or a particularly difficult day, do you crave the warmth of your bed? Do you long for the familiarity of your walls? Chances are that the answer is yes. If your home no longer feels comfortable to you, then where do you go? Think of triggering situations and your mind in the same way. Your mind is the place you can retreat to, where you find your reservoir of comfort and peace. There is nowhere else you can go. So, what do you do when your home is dishevelled? Our mental health is so important, and it is the most underrepresented aspect in healthcare. We can do a barrage of tests and the doctor may tell us to go away with a clean bill of health, even though we know something else is wrong. Another part of this is accessibility. Mental healthcare is not found everywhere. It is as elusive as it can get when it comes to our country. There are special hospitals and licensed doctors only in the larger cities. But that brings its own problem as well. Help, when it is available, is costly. It is not even a consideration when it comes to our insurance. According to a study by Deloitte, it was found that India accounts for 15% of the global mental health burden. That is an enormous number for what is considered mostly a nonissue. It is up to us to start conversations around this, to educated people we know through whatever channels we have accessibility to. In the age of social media, there are many ways to bring accessible mental healthcare to every part of the country. We just need people who are willing, and people who are willing to listen. To better understand what it feels like to suffer from a mental health disorder, there is a wonderful poem:

Mental illness

People assume you aren’t sick
unless they see the sickness on your skin
like scars forming a map of all the ways you’re hurting.

My heart is a prison of Have you tried?
Have you tried exercising? Have you tried eating better?
Have you tried not being sad, not being sick?
Have you tried being more like me?
Have you tried shutting up?

Yes, I have tried. Yes, I am still trying,
and yes, I am still sick.

Sometimes monsters are invisible, and
sometimes demons attack you from the inside.
Just because you cannot see the claws and the teeth
does not mean they aren’t ripping through me.
Pain does not need to be seen to be felt.

Telling me there is no problem
won’t solve the problem.

This is not how miracles are born.
This is not how sickness works.

― Emm Roy, The First Step

The ways we approach mental health must change. It must become an acceptable topic of conversation. It must become something we want to help, not something we try to ignore. Rather than sweeping it under the carpet, we need to rip the carpet out from underneath us and create avenues for help, empathy and understanding.

Love

Priti Srivastava

Priti Srivastava is an industry stalwart and DayaRani is a tribute to her parents. She has been an active participant in many sustainable causes along with her immaculate professional career of three decades.

Founder's Profile

Letter from the Founder

Do you mind if I talk about mine?

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