Meet Krishna Saproo, who is on a mission to bring a wave of change in society through ‘Maunitva Nirakarn’
Krishna Saproo from Jammu and Kashmir got selected as Ashoka Young Changemaker 2022. It’s for the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir that someone got selected for this prestigious award.
Ashoka Young Changemakers is a global network of powerful young people who are creating an Everyone a Changemaker world.
Depressions, Suicide and Anxiety; these words which were mostly discussed in clinical settings have now become part of the daily conversation among children. While issues and challenges around mental health have grown exponentially, our habit of brushing them under the carpet has also continued. But, unfortunately, the ‘out of sight out of mind’ policy doesn’t work when it comes to Mental Wellbeing. As per a recent study by WHO – mental health problems amount to 2443 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 10000 population; on similar lines, the age-adjusted suicide rate per 100000 population has also exploded to reach 21.1. These stats may look surprising at first glance, but a careful peek underneath reveals how mental health has become a gargantuan challenge for our society.
While we adults continue to brush the topic aside with ease, the younger generation which is one of the most fatal victims of this problem has taken it upon itself to address this challenge. Krishna Saproo – a Class 12 student from Jammu and Kashmir has launched Maunitva Nirakarn – A Mental Health Awareness Initiative, which helps youngsters suffering from mental health issues by giving them a safe space to express themselves.
Krishna shares that often students and people who talk about their mental health challenges and issues are either mocked or ignored. Through Maunitva Nirakarn, Krishna and his team are trying to build a safe ecosystem for such people and provide them an accommodating environment where free, open and forward-thinking conversations around Mental Health can take place.
To address Mental Health concerns, Krishna has started a podcast with students of reputed schools across India. The podcast is based on social awareness. Apart from this, he has started a project named Vartalaap along with slum area kids under which they teach them about Mental Health and spread awareness about personal hygiene. They help them to provide basic education. They have also organized a Webinar series with people all across India.
He raised awareness in the society… At a time when youngsters were ignoring their mental health, he decided to inspire others to join hands and launch an initiative run by and for the youth to spread awareness about Mental Health and Well Being through awareness campaigns, workshops, and music. In the future, Krishna is also working on making mental health a formal part of the school curriculum.
He believes Everyone is a Changemaker,what they need is a little more guidance to make society free from Social Evils like Gender Inequality, Climate Change, Mental Health issues etc.
