Prafulta, Centre for Psychological Wellness, has various psychological services like counseling & psychotherapy, career guidance, psychiatry, occupational therapy, remedial education, training courses for professionals, and several workshops and community outreach programs in schools and community centers in the city of Mumbai. Prafulta was founded in the year 1998 and is celebrating its Silver Jubilee this year.
Fr. Godfrey D’Sa SDB, Founder and Executive Director, Prafulta, said ‘KabhiKhushiKabhiGham’ (KKKG) - a Celebration of Feelings, is an event organized to reach out to students who do not have access to mental health facilities in their neighborhood, particularly for the most vulnerable and underprivileged section of our population. Looking back at Prafulta’s 25-year-journey, D’Sa states, "We have mental health care for children, teens, and families. Our focus as mental health Caregivers is to restore dignity and hope and be compassionate, de-stigmatize mental health, and encourage people to access help and treatment available in order to live life in all its fullness.”
The Chief Guest, Fr. Savio Silveira SDB, Provincial, Salesian Province of Mumbai, while addressing the gathering said, “It’s a joy to participate and celebrate such a mega-event. Hearty congratulations to Prafulta, to the Director Fr Godfrey D’Sa SDB, to all the staff and collaborators of Don Bosco Prafulta, not just for this event but for the entire Silver Jubilee Year they are celebrating. Thanks to Larsen & Turbo Energy Hydrocarbon for being our CSR partners and for supporting and enabling us to conduct this programme. What Prafulta stands for, and we at Don Bosco believe in very much, is about well-being and living life in its fullness. That is preciously the mission of Don Bosco, that every young person particularly enjoys life positively and to the fullest. This event will truly encourage young people to become what they want to be and move towards what God wants them to be viz. Persons who are happy and healthy and who reach out to serve others with joy in society.”
The Chief Guest Mr. Oswald D’Souza said “I am happy to be here on this momentous occasion. Mental health is a very crucial issue today. I come from the corporate world and it’s a fast-paced world. We really don’t have the time to pause and think about mental health and how it affects people. We move from meeting to meeting and are so busy that we don’t really realise there is a mind within us constantly working. Physical ailments are easily noticeable and we start taking medication once it is visible. But mental ailments work below the surface very quietly and result in behaviours that eventually affect the environment that we work in, play in and live in. I am happy that L&T Energy Hydrocarbon is collaborating with Prafulta on this crucial issue. I am also happy that all the participants who have come here for an awareness on mental health will be going back to live happier lives.”
Over fifty Mental Health Caregivers have got together to create fun-filled activities for children and their parents. Around eighty psychology students from St. Xavier and Nanavati Colleges facilitated and assisted in this event. Three thousand six hundred children along with their parents participated in this fun-filled event.
Ms. Shalu Mehrotra, Senior Psychotherapist at Prafulta and the chief coordinator of the event, said “It’s a joy to see both children and parents taking part so eagerly in all the activities that have been organized. After the pandemic, many have come to realize how fragile the mind is and if we do not take care of it, the consequences can be disastrous. We believe that normalization of conversations around mental health will eventually lead to better mental health care.”
Ms. Kiriti Baijal, Lead, CSR, Larsen & Turbo Energy Hydrocarbon said “I am overwhelmed at the response of the people attending the Mental Health Mela. It turned out much more than my expectations. A good learning experience for everyone to understand Mental Health issues through the various fun-filled activities. Nearly 40 staff members of L&T Energy Hydrocarbon volunteered to be part of this mega event. This was indeed a great team synergy”.
Mr. Manik Karnani, Joint General Manager, Offshore Domestic Marketing, L&T Energy Hydrocarbon, who volunteered at the event said, “This is the first time in my 25 years working with our organisation that I have participated in a Corporate Social Responsibility event. I am overjoyed today in serving the children, youth and parents and collaborating with the mental health programme through various therapeutic activities and games.”
Jeremy Varguese, FYBA student volunteer from St. Xaviers College, Mumbai said, “It was an exhilarating experience. I was heading the volunteer movement and most of the work of collaborating with our students was done online, with roles and responsibilities given to each of the volunteers. It’s indeed a big success and I learned how to collaborate, build up teams to coordinate the micro aspects of organising a programme. Finally, one needs to have big dreams, be compassionate, and work in teams for success in life."
Ms. Riva Harani, a FYBA student volunteer from St. Xaviers College, said, “I had many roles, working at the Food Counter, Registration and at different other places. I learned to plan and to nurture young minds and became aware of the mental health issues in my life.”
The afternoon included mental wellness activities and children learned how to handle difficult emotions like anger, sadness, nervousness, and fear, and be happy and positive through the medium of art and painting, storytelling, dance and movement, graffiti corner, pottery, and a lot more. The many activities provided an opportunity for the students to explore fun hobbies and activities that they enjoy, which ultimately help in reducing stress.
A parenting programme and career guidance stall with facilitators had programmes that guided the parents to lead a stress-free life. Mrs. Archana, a parent attending the programme, said, “I asked a pertinent question to the counsellor - “How do I make my child listen to me? He is totally distracted with the smartphone”. These and many other questions were answered during the sessions on parenting. The parents got an opportunity to speak to the psychiatrists and the senior psychologists and discuss all their concerns as well as receive some Effective Parenting strategies and practical strategies for Self Care.
One could see the young children and parents dancing with the Clowns who performed jugglery and taught them different stress-free skills for life. The games enthused the participants in learning motor sensory skills which activated their left and right brains as in play therapy.
Arifa from Class VII said, “This was a great programme that more people need to participate in. It was full of valuable and life-changing takeaways.”
There were many mental wellness activities designed to promote productive thinking and creativity and to stay positive in life. There were also opportunities to advance leadership, problem-solving and creative skills. All these were done in a fun-filled and entertaining way. The children and participants were given the power to revive, rejuvenate and direct their inner selves and connect to their feelings.
For information, you may connect with Prafulta, website link- https://prafultaandheri.org/
By Joaquim Fernandes, SDB
