New podcast opens up the discussion on mental health

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A couple of weeks ago, on social media, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare shared a poster on how to cope with depression. The poster suggested tips, such as "eating fruits" and "thinking positive", but skipped, say, meeting with a therapist, undergoing counselling, or having a support group.

The poster drew the ire of mental health professionals, and rightly so. Luckily for us, a newly-launched Indian podcast, Marbles Lost & Found, has got its bearings right. In the course of 10 episodes, each about 20 minutes long, Marbles Lost & Found intends to address some of the most important topics surrounding mental health, from a very Indian context - be it depression, toxic masculinity, or the representation of mental illnesses in pop cinema.

With four episodes down, one thing we can all agree on is that Marbles Lost & Found is a safe space for those either dealing with mental illnesses or those looking to care for loved ones coping with mental illnesses. At the fore of the series are music producer Zain Calcuttawala and psychotherapist Avanti Malhotra, with the rest of the team contributing to it from time to time. They converse about how they coped, and struggled, with depression. There is no judgement, even of those who fail to understand the toll that mental illnesses can have on people. There is certainly empathy.

Calcuttawala and Malhotra are chatty, often taking digs at themselves, issuing trigger warnings wherever required. Listeners will appreciate that the conversation around mental health can be a serious one, but not necessarily mournful. The very title of the series is reflective of this. As the narrators tell us, sometimes you lose your marbles, and the hope is that you find them again. It lacks the usual apocalyptic tones that accompany headlines about India's rising need for mental health awareness and professionals in that area.

It makes you feel that you can talk about depression, personality disorders or anxiety issues over, say, ice cream, or while waiting for the Uber to arrive. What's more, the series allows space for doubt, rather than seeming like an authority in the subject. And, neither is it prescriptive, by ways of directly offering solutions. By sharing their personal journeys and observations of mental health, Calcuttawala and Malhotra seem to convey that the path to recovery is not always a straight one, and often confusing.

Available both on websites and apps, you can listen to these episodes even while commuting or while grabbing lunch at work. What we feel needs to be amped up is the content itself. The conversations tend to ramble on, and we'd rather they didn't. Then, there are times when the personal, subjective episode is traded for an analytical critique, which may leave your expectations from the series confused. More guest voices and personal stories, perhaps? We believe Marbles Lost & Found has such episodes lined up. In the meantime, let's hope the Ministry of Health finds inspiration from the right sources, as Marbles Lost & Found has.

Marbles Lost & Found is a free podcast, with a new episode every Tuesday. Listen to it on IVM's app or website, Saavn, YouTube, SoundCloud, Audioboom, and HeadFone

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