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.

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: