Amairha Pokala and Preethaa Ganesh
LiftNow, a mental health mobile app designed to support children's emotional wellness, was officially launched in India this week at Vels Vidyashram CBSE School, Pallavaram, Tamil Nadu. The Vels schools have an enrolment of more than 30,000 students. Preethaa Ganesh, Vice President of the Vels Group of Institutions, and Amairha Pokala, Founder of LiftNow India, unveiled the app.
The LiftNow Foundation (www.liftnow.org) is a registered non-profit in the United States, founded by Varun Thvar. The LiftNow mobile app was developed based on scientific and medical research showing that nature reduces stress and anxiety. The app simulates ocean and forest environments, using visual and auditory features to calm anxiety and stress, and allows users to reflect on their worries and gratitude in a collected manner.
Amairha Pokala founded LiftNow India in 2024 and worked to create a LiftNow app tailored for Indian children, including localizing the app into both Hindi and Tamil, with other Indian languages on the way. The LiftNow mobile app is available for free on the India stores of both iOS and Android. All data stored in the LiftNow mobile app is stored only on the user's phone and is not accessible to any third party, including LiftNow.
From an early age, Amairha Pokala has been active in the mental health field in India and also launched Equinox, an online magazine for children & young adults, available at www.equinox-magazine.com.
"When I first saw the LiftNow mobile app concept, I was excited about the opportunity to bring it to India to impact millions of our country's children. Recent studies have shown that 30 percent of Indian children suffer from anxiety and depression. I worked with Varun to build out a tailored app for Indian children. For too long, there has been a stigma around mental health in India, and the power of the LiftNow app is that it lets individuals use the app safely and privately," said Amairha Pokala.
Preethaa Ganesh, Vice President of the Vels Group of Educational Institutions, said in her keynote speech, "The Vels Group is proud to be rolling out LiftNow to students in our schools and colleges. Amairha's determination and desire to help others is truly infectious. She addresses a critical need and inspires her peers to take charge of their mental health and well-being."
Starting with Vels, LiftNow India is supporting schools all over India in rolling out the LiftNow mobile app to their students. Any schools interested in learning more, please email info@liftnow.org.
Amairha Pokala concluded, "Our mission is to provide every child in India with the LiftNow mobile app so they can navigate their mental health journey in a safe, supportive space."
