An evening of colouring mandalas, listening without judgement, practising yoga and experiencing sound healing brought together visitors at a Mumbai festival that took mental health out of the clinic and into the community.

The programme, titled “Mental Health Fest: Come As You Are”, was organised by the Kripa Foundation and Mooskan, a mental health and wellbeing organisation, on the first floor of Mount Carmel Church. Activities centred on emotional expression, relaxation and open conversations around mental wellbeing, with stalls lining the venue and a circular space at the centre for group sessions.

From mandalas to therapy dogs

The programme began with a short marathon, followed by yoga and a walkathon in which participants walked freely around the space. The festival featured animal-assisted therapy with dogs, neurotherapy and sound healing, a wellness practice that uses specific tones.

At a stall run by counselling psychologist Swati Shah, visitors picked mandala designs and filled them with colour. Children, adults and senior citizens sat with sheets and colouring materials in a quieter corner, and Shah said the colours people chose could offer clues to their emotional states. One visitor, Jyoti Shah, said the activity brought back something she felt she had left behind: she had forgotten to colour after getting married, and it felt good to pick up colours again.

Sound healing practitioner Jyothika Goradia conducted sessions using gongs and singing bowls, while another stall invited visitors to engage their senses through activities such as receiving a head massage. At the “Hear Me Out” stall, small enclosed cabins gave visitors privacy to talk about their concerns, with neuroaffirmative therapist Suhasini S listening and offering suggestions. A space called Aaram Corner, set up by Laaslya Mangalampalli, offered a small resting tent decorated with lights and cushions for visitors to sit away from the activity.

Bringing the conversation out

Hariman Dhanjal of the Kripa Foundation said the foundation, which has worked in addiction recovery, elderly care and children’s education for 45 years, was organising a dedicated mental health awareness programme for the first time because the world needs it more than ever. The programme blended music and art therapy, sound healing and fitness activities to encourage conversations about emotional wellbeing and address stigma.

Mooskan Shah, founder of Mooskan Health and Wellbeing, said the festival was an attempt to bring mental health conversations into community spaces and make them more accessible to people outside conventional support settings. Mental health, she said, should not be confined to closed doors, adding that nature has a healing strength and the aim was to approach wellbeing in a fun and creative way.