The one with the helping hand

Dear Mynd aims to create and encourage conversations around mental health. We do this through stories and that simple fact that connects us all; our human experiences. We are, after all, our stories. And our stories are us.

This episode of Dear Mynd explores the theme of unfamiliar settings. It uses a story – A Helping Hand by Payal Dhar and illustrated by Vartika Sharma – to touch upon a range of themes such as disability, acceptance, friendship, and invisible suffering.

Details of the episode

1. The daily struggles and triumphs of people with disabilities
2. The cathartic power of the simple act of writing
3. Acceptance and its accompanying freedom

Meet the host

Srividya Sivakumar is a reader, a teacher, and a speaker. But what really occupies her mind are those strange things that come hardbound or within soft paperbacks or on a device.  Books. Yes, she’s a self avowed bibliophile and a firm believer in the magic that 26 letters and a few punctuation marks can create.  A critically acclaimed poet, TEDx Speaker and a Voiceover Artist, Srividya believes in using her voice as a vehicle – one that drives change, sparks conversations, inspires calm and encourages you – to slow down, one story at a time.

Author bio

Payal​ Dhar is an author, writing fiction for middle-grade and young-adult readers. In her role as a journalist, she covers science and technology, and how that affects our world and our lives. She is widely published in the Business Standard, Washington Post, Guardian, and Outlook Traveller.

Vartika Sharma is an illustrator based in New Delhi.

Resources

To Read:

• The current state of disability and availability of assistive devices in India – https://scroll.in/article/947084/for-thousands-of-indians-searching-for-smarter-cheaper-prosthetic-limbs-ai-may-be-the-answer
• Ableism in Harper Lee’s classic – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
•  Christopher Boone’s character challenges normalcy in Mark Haddon’s contemporary classic – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

To Listen:

• Rise Up – Andra Day – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwgr_IMeEgA
• Beautiful- Christina Aguilera – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAfyFTzZDMM
• Fu**ing Perfect- Pink – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocDlOD1Hw9k

QOTD

How can we make public spaces more inclusive? Write to Srividya – srividya@myndstories.com

This podcast is a MyndStories production. MyndStories is part of Metta Media Pvt. Ltd.