Why you can attend this musical show that focuses on mental health in Mumbai

The year-old community aims to provide a platform to budding poets

Founded in October 2023, Irshaad Community will host its first-ever musical show with a focus on mental health, Haal E Dil Kaho - A Brainbow of Emotions. The intent is to increase awareness about mental health using music. A practising clinical psychologist and writer, Sharvari Prabhu, will perform over 10 to 12 songs from her album Haal E Dil Kaho this weekend. The singer and composer will be accompanied by Naveen Kumar on keys for this performance.

Sarah Isani

Listen to your heart

"Haal E Dil Kaho means ‘Tell Me What Your Heart Wants'," says Prabhu, who also co-founded a Marathi open mic platform Bolpat with her friend Ketki Bagalkar in May this year. "I noticed that there are very few songs in Hindi, or any regional languages in India that talk about mental health. To bridge this gap, I thought of creating songs in Hinglish [a mix of Hindi and English] that can spread awareness about mental health in a way that people can connect with it," Prabhu told this writer. The line-up includes songs focusing on topics like depression, dopamine, anxiety, and guilt. One of her songs, Devil ka workshop, talks about comparison, which is a common issue in our society. "My aim is to perform such [mental wellness] songs that can converse with the audience," she added.

Sharvari Prabhu

Platform for poets

Founded by Jaabir Ali, Irshaad Community was set up with the aim to elevate the city's poetry landscape. It aims to promote the aspiring poets and writers by providing them a stage to showcase their talent. "I met Sharvari at an open mic event; we performed on the same stage, and that led to conversations, and despite the age gap, we became good friends. I loved her unique way of performing and expressing emotions. She has normalised mental health in such a fun way that it made me realise that I want Haal E Dil Kaho to reach as many people as possible," explained co-founder Sarah Isani, revealing how the show was finalised. Since then, the two began discussing the plan of the musical evening with the aim is to normalise feelings of all kinds of emotions that are considered negative, and to make people feel comfortable expressing it. "We are open to exploring, and hope to expand the team with more people who care for art and for the people around us," Ali and Isani stated.

ON October 20; 6 pm onwards
AT Rasa- The Stage, Nritya Shakti, Sai Corporate Park, Bangur Nagar, Goregaon West.
LOG ON TO in.bookmyshow.com
ENTRY Rs 199