Ekta Kapoor, Priya Kumar, Jayanti Shukla, Dr. Harish Shetty and Tarun Katial talk about the cause in a panel discussion
The rising cases of mental health issues in India, the need for normalising conversations and creating awareness about this topic has never been felt more than now. As a brand that understands the pulse of the nation, ZEE5 has taken a step in this direction to create awareness about mental health by launching the ‘Pavitra Rishta Fund’. With this initiative, ZEE5 aims to encourage and educate people about the need to have discussions about mental health, especially with close friends and family by being a ‘Manav’ in their life.
The fund will encourage people to recognize and treasure those valuable relationships and bonds we have with our near and dear ones and celebrate them by truly embracing it #HarRishtaHaiKhaas. This vision has been inspired by the premise of the channel’s popular show Pavitra Rishta which celebrates human relationships.
Tarun Katial, CEO, ZEE5 India said, “ZEE5 has always been entertaining India with relatable characters and stories, but we feel that serving consumers with purposeful entertainment is equally our responsibility. The current times have shown us that how the stigma attached to mental health issues have resulted into dire consequences. With this background in perspective, ZEE5 in association with the United Way Mumbai, has announced the launch of a unique initiative – ‘Pavitra Rishta Fund’ that will address the issue of mental health and help those suffering from it or need help in this direction. The platform will also allow people to donate to this noble cause. Our endeavour is to create awareness and able to help as many individuals as we can, who are suffering from this issue.”
Dr. Harish Shetty, M.D. (Psychiatry), Dr. L H Hiranandani Hospital said, “According to the Global Burden Disease GBD 2019 , 1/7 Indians suffer from mental illness and 20 crores need mental health assistance . The President of India recently stated that India is in the middle of a looming mental health epidemic. With the current pandemic the overall uncertainties have driven us to the edge of having a mental health avalanche. We need more mental health soldiers like the ZEE5 team and United Way Mumbai, who have come together to encourage people to get help and make mental healthcare accessible to them. It is time that we all also celebrate the low points and break the barriers of acceptance and embrace failures or setbacks to ensure mental health stability.”
Ms. Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director, Balaji Telefilms said, “The times have drastically shifted from what it was 10 years ago, as there is a lot more pressure today. With the pandemic around, especially with all of us being confined to our homes, people are facing a lot more stress and anxiety. Stress levels due to work, friction at home, loss of jobs etc have contributed to the ongoing issues of deteriorating mental health conditions of many. I am extremely happy that ZEE5 has started this initiative, it is my privilege to be a part of the Pavitra Rishta Fund and will always be happy to be a part of such initiatives in the future as well.”
Ms. Priya Kumar, Author and Motivational Speaker said, “I always say input equals output. What I am feeling today is dependent on what conversations I hear, who I am with or what I read. The environment too, which we are in, influence our emotional and mental well-being. But along with these conversations we also need education and awareness about mental health issues and speak up openly about them. I am glad that ZEE5 has taken up this initiative through the Pavitra Rishta Fund to begin this movement of contributing to those affected and help spread the word.”
Mr. Jayanti Shukla, CEO, United Way Mumbai, expressed, “We were very happy when ZEE5 reached out to us to come on board as the philanthropy partner for Pavitra Rishta Fund that will address the very relevant subject of mental health. This issue has got greatly aggravated during the current COVID-19 time, with people facing more uncertainty and more isolation in their lives. The ‘Pavitra Rishta Fund’ initiative could not have come at a better time. Through our health programs, United Way Mumbai works with different segments of society and we therefore have a greater understanding of the challenges people face. And through this fund we’ll focus on fighting the stigma associated with mental health issues, create awareness and help build a support system by getting stakeholders and donors involved in this cause.”
ZEE5 has partnered with ‘United Way Mumbai’ and through this initiative, ZEE5 will support those who are struggling with health issues and disorders by launching a dedicated microsite http://pavitrarishtafund.com/ The microsite will have,resources on mental health, helpline numbers, as well as expert videos. there will be messages from people who have gone through the same journey and fought their illnesses.