A physical injury will show and you will rush to a doctor to get it treated. But most people in India shy away from getting their mental problems solved. They will not go to a doctor and neither will they solve it. This leads to more problems and suicidal tendencies grow among the people. The loss of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput to depression further has accentuated the need to address mental illnesses at the earliest.

Keeping this in mind, ZEE5 has come up with a new initiative titled Pavitra Rishta Fund, #HarRishtaHaiKhass. A group of esteemed panellists including Ekta Kapoor, Tarun Katial, CEO, ZEE5 India, Dr Harish Shetty, Psychiatrist, Dr L. H. Hiranandani Hospital, Priya Kumar, author and motivational speaker and Jayanti Shukla, CEO, United Way Mumbai graced the webinar and announced this initiative.

This initiative was the idea of Ekta Kapoor who thought it very essential in recent times to come up with solutions to address mental issues. Speaking at the event, she said “When I made the serial Pavitra Rishta, it was targeted for the middle class audience. The love story between two unusual individuals caught the fancy of the audience and the serial achieved great success. Many girls swooned over the character of Manav played by Sushant. Now we have to become compassionate and kind towards those individuals who are suffering from mental issues during this lock down period and even during normal times. Only then can many issues be resolved”.

With the help of this initiative, one will be able to get a note of the contact details of doctors and hospitals and nursing homes where psychiatrists are available to cater to this problem. Willing individuals can also donate to the fund and aid in the treatment of people suffering from mental illnesses.

Dr Shetty highlighted on the taboo that many individuals associate with getting treatment for mental health. “The need for treatment for mental health is high during this pandemic. People are losing jobs, there is insecurity, coupled with this grave disease which is leading to much deterioration in mental health. People need to address these issues as they address their other physical problems” added the doctor.

The initiative is a much needed one in today’s times and with ZEE5 coming up with this initiative, many people will be immensely benefitted.

Priyanka Dutta