Public Sessions
This series was started in January 2009 and originally intended to run for a year.
It was initially designed as a series of interactions that would explore conflicts, confusions, and controversies related to mental health issues, and conceptualised as talks by mental health professionals to clear these confusions. The passage of time saw the participation of many others, including writers, academics, educationists, lawyers, people with lived experience of mental illness, family members, other care-givers, and even a monk.
It also became clear that, while there were no simple answers, conversations could certainly change the discourse.
While the pandemic has—hopefully only temporarily—suspended it for the present, we hope to resume it soon.
↳ A poster for The Canvas Askew from 2009.
List of Public Sessions
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Open Dialogue: The difference that makes a difference
by Rajiv Singh
Moderated by Kavita Arora
4 March, 2020
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The Elephant Vanishes
by Sushrut Jadhav
20 October, 2019
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East vs West: Through the Eyes of a Social Psychiatrist
by Swaran Preet Singh
Moderated by Sanjeev Jain
18 September, 2019
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The Unsafe Asylum: Stories of Partition and Madness
by Anirudh Kala
Moderated by Urvashi Butalia
17 August, 2018
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The Psychological Impact of the Partition of India
by Sanjeev Jain, Alok Sarin
Moderated by Ritu Menon
15 June, 2018
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Stories of Troubled Times: The Mental Hospital in Delhi and the Great Indian Mutiny
by Alok Sarin, Sanjeev Jain
Moderated by Narayani Gupta
11 May, 2018
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if i had to tell it again: A Memoir
by Gayathri Prabhhu
Moderated by Amit Sen
27 April, 2018
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Gender Dysphoria: The Questions
by Ambarish Satvik, Pramada Menon, Anup Dhar, Sanjeev Jain
Moderated by Alok Sarin
7 April, 2017
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The Madhouse in the City: The Relevance of the Mental Hospital
by Sanjeev Jain, Pratima Murthy, Anup Dhar
Moderated by Alok Sarin
20 May, 2016
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An Anecdotal Personal History of Depression
by Ramachandra Guha
11 March, 2016
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Alchemy of Empathy: Transforming Stress into Meaning at Work
by Eve Ekman
10 December, 2015
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Texting Times: The Story of Behavioural Addictions
by Pratima Murthy
18 September, 2015
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Loud Whispers: Does Teen Mental Health Get the Attention it Deserves?
by Meghna Gulati, Nandita Singh
Moderated by Kavita Arora
31 July, 2015
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Psychiatry: Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here?
by Ajai Singh
24 April, 2015
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Inspiring Faith: The Story of Vishwas — A documentary on rehabilitation of mental illness in a half way home
by Prakash Jacob, Pankaj Pachauri, S. Kalyanasundaram, Kiran Rao, Alok Sarin
12 October, 2014
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An Hour WIth the Mahatma
by Alok Bajpai
25 July, 2014
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Mental Ill Health, Poverty and Homelessness: The Banyan Experience
by Vandana Gopikumar
Moderated by Keshav Desiraju
25 April, 2014
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Why Children Do Not Learn
by Jai Ranjan Ram
Moderated by Komal Sood
21 February, 2014
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From Prohibition to Happy Hour: The social and political history of alcohol in India
by Vivek Benegal
24 January, 2014
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Come With Me: the premiere of the film by Kolkata-based NGO Anjali
by Ratnaboli Ray, Urvashi Butalia, Shobna Sonpar, Alok Sarin
9 December, 2013
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On Living Wills and the Ulysses Clause: The use of advance directives in the practice of psychiatry
by Alok Sarin
20 September, 2013
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Why We Need to Talk about the Partition of India
by Sukeshi Kamra
Moderated by Urvashi Butalia
23 August, 2013
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Of Good Intentions and Doctored Omelettes: Discussion on the use of covert medication in psychiatric practice
Moderated by Alok Sarin
26 July, 2013
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Why this Kolaveri Di about Psyschiatric Treatment? Does it Work, or is it All in Your Mind?
by Prathap Tharyan
7 September, 2012
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You're Not Perfect Either: Rights of babies with disabilities to be born
by Jo McGowan Chopra
Moderated by Dunu Roy
19 November, 2010
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Surviving Success
by Vihang Vahia
Moderated by Mukul Kesavan
15 October, 2010
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Twenty-First Century Parenting
by Harish Shetty
Moderated by Santosh Desai
20 August, 2010
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Rainbow Coalition: Living with bipolar disorder
by Akhileshwar Sahay
Moderated by Sudhir Khandelwal
17 September, 2010
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Clouds Over the Morning Sky: A talk on childhood depression
by Kavita Arora
Moderated by Abha Adams
23 July, 2010
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Therapy: The Talking Cure
by Ashok Nagpal, Vatsala Subramaniam, Reena Nath, Jasmeet Kaur, Shelja Sen
Moderated by Anurag Mishra
28 May, 2010
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Awakenings from Bedlam: Towards Progressive Mental Health Legislation
by Soumitra Pathare, Anirudh Kala, Achal Bhagat, Rajesh Nagpal
Moderated by Alok Sarin
30 April, 2010
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Why Not Us? A Discussion on the Rights of Persons Living with Mental Illness
by Achal Bhagat
Moderated by Bhargavi Davar
24 March, 2010
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Scientology: What Does it Say about Psychiatry and Psychology?
by W. Vaughn McCall
24 January, 2010
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The World is Grey: The Problems of Ageing
by Mathew Varghese
Moderated by Sanjeev Saith
18 December, 2009
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Habits of Happiness: Cultivating Altruism
by Matthieu Ricard
Moderated by Rajiv Mehrotra
5 November, 2009
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Surviving Schizophrenia
by P.S.V.N. Sharma
Moderated by Pankaj Pachauri
25 September, 2009
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The Slaughter of Innocence: How Academics is Ruining Adolescence
by Aniruddha Deb
Moderated by Kabir Mustafi
30 August, 2009
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Do prevention strategies for suicide work?
by Mohan Isaac
Moderated by Kavita Arora
17 July, 2009
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The Canvas in the Mirror: portrayal of psychiatric disorders in the arts
Moderated by Anirudh Kala
19 June, 2009
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Rhythm 'n' Blues: The Cadence of Bipolar Disorder
by Sanjeev Jain
Moderated by Sadhana Vohra
22 May, 2009
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Finding Answers
by Shelja Sen and Amit Sen
Moderated by Abha Adams
17 April, 2009
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Fear is the Key: A Closer Look at Anxiety
by Ajit Bhide
Moderated by Rajiv Mehrotra
21 March 2009
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Education in Times of Terror
by Shekhar Seshadri
Moderated by Arun Kapur
20 February, 2009
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Inaugural Lecture
by Alok Sarin
23 January, 2009