Mumbai mental health festival activities including mandala colouring, sound healing, yoga, animal-assisted therapy and private listening spaces brought conversations about emotional wellbeing into a community venue on October 11, as organisers sought to reduce stigma around seeking support.
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. The event used stalls, group activities and quieter spaces to encourage visitors to engage with mental health through conversation, art, movement and sensory experiences.
The programme began with a short marathon, followed by yoga and a walkathon in which participants moved freely around the venue. Other activities included neurotherapy, sound healing using gongs and singing bowls, animal-assisted therapy with dogs, music and art therapy, fitness activities and sensory-based relaxation sessions.
Hariman Dhanjal, head of public relations, technology and marketing at the Kripa Foundation, said the organisation was holding a dedicated mental health awareness programme for the first time. The foundation has worked in addiction recovery, elderly care and children’s education for 45 years.
Dhanjal said the event was designed to use music, art, sound healing and fitness to encourage conversations about emotional wellbeing and address stigma. The format placed activities in an open community setting rather than limiting the programme to a conventional counselling or clinical environment.
One of the stalls, run by counselling psychologist Swati Shah, invited visitors to colour mandala designs. Children, adults and senior citizens sat together with colouring sheets and materials in a quieter part of the venue. Shah said the colours selected by participants could offer clues about their emotional states.
Visitor Jyoti Shah said the activity helped her reconnect with colouring, which she had stopped doing after marriage. “I forgot to colour after I got married, and it feels good to use colours. I feel light and happy,” she said.
At the ‘Hear Me Out’ stall, enclosed cabins provided privacy for visitors who wanted to discuss personal concerns. Neuroaffirmative therapist Suhasini S listened to participants and offered suggestions, giving them a dedicated space to speak away from the larger gathering.
Sound healing practitioner Jyothika Goradia conducted sessions with gongs and singing bowls. Another stall, Aaram Corner, offered head massages and a small resting tent fitted with lights and cushions. The space was designed for visitors who wanted to step away from the activity around them.
Mooskan Shah, founder of Mooskan Health and Wellbeing, said the festival was intended to bring mental health conversations into community spaces and make them more accessible to people outside conventional support settings. “Mental health should not be confined to closed doors. Nature has a healing strength, and we want to approach mental wellbeing in a fun and creative way,” she said.
