Governor stresses on physical and mental health balance

DEHRADUN, 11 Oct: An awareness programme on mental health was organised at Raj Bhavan here on Saturday by the WonderWell Foundation in collaboration with Garhwal Post. The event featured a panel discussion with experts from diverse fields. Health specialists, psychologists, legal experts and financial advisors underlined that mental health is not merely a medical issue but is intrinsically linked to every aspect of life. The panel discussion was moderated by Editor Garhwal Post, Satish Sharma.

Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. In his address, the Governor observed that mental health is the greatest need of the present era. He also quoted Sanskrit shlokas in his address to stress that happiness are very important. He added that if one is happy, his entire perspective changes and also his capabilities are enhanced to deal with the challenges. He added that in modern lifestyle, filled with stress and competition, maintaining inner peace has become one of the biggest challenges. He observed that when the mind is unstable, the body too cannot remain healthy, adding that self-reflection and self-dialogue are essential means to recognise one’s inner strength. Admitting that his life, he too faced several mental challenges but due to his will and by the grace of Wahe Guru, he could overcome them effectively.

Lt Gen Singh also emphasised that that one must learn to find joy in little things, as true happiness in life does not lie solely in achieving big goals but in cherishing small moments of joy.  He added that lving in the present moment is the greatest foundation of mental balance and happiness. He further noted that learning the ‘Art of Living’ is essential, not merely as a practice of meditation or yoga, but as a philosophy of life that teaches positivity in all circumstances, empathy towards others, and inner peace.

The Governor not only appreciated the initiative of WonderWell Foundation and its founder Yashna Bahri Singh for working in the field of mental health and for hosting an enlightening discussion on mental health and also praised senior journalist Satish Sharma for supporting the cause. He also liberally praised each of the participants of the panel discussion, namely noted psychologist Yashna Bahri Singh, Satish Sharma who moderated the discussion, Vipul Kandwal who is chairman of Arogyadham Hospital, academician Durga Verma, leading advocate TS Bindra, noted Chartered Accountant Virendra Kalra for making relevant feedback and recommendations.

While Dr Kandwal observed that a significant number of patients who come to him have mental issues also and therefore he chooses to hear them out patiently before treating them. Durga Verma recommended regular classes for students on mental health issues. TS Bindra observed that while in the past, the idea was to isolate patients with mental problems from the society to keep the society safe from them, the present times have gone tremendous changes. Even the laws have changed tremendously after the UN Convention in this regard in 2017. Now the focus is on rehabilitation of patients with mental issues and their integration with the society. Virendra Kalra spoke about the financial aspects of mental issues. He recommended that saving money while one is earning and living a financially disciplined life is important to avoid mental stress due to financial problems.

Earlier, Satish Sharma in his address on the occasion, admitted that during his younger days, depression and anxiety were not heard of but present day modern lifestyle is giving way to mental health issues like depression, anxiety and others among a significant number of people. He also attributed depression and other mental issues to lack of communication and stressed on the importance of communicating with oneself and with others to keep these issues away. On this occasion, the Founder of WonderWell Foundation and Psychiatrist Yashna Bahri Singh spoke about various dimensions of mental health and gave a presentation on the issue.

The event was also attended by Legal Advisors to the Governor Kaushal Kishore Shukla, Additional Secretary PC Dumka, Hotel President owner Rakesh Chugh, Maj Gen Anand Singh Rawat (Retd), his wife Rajni Rawat, Lt Col Sunny Bakshi (Retd), his wife Poonam Bakshi, and advocate Indrajeet Singh Namdhari, along with Surjit Kaur, Ravi Bahri, sisters Kiran and Lily Bhatt, Founder of Humans For Humanity Anurag Chauhan, medical professionals, academicians, NGO representatives, students, and officers and staff of Raj Bhavan.