AATMAN

Aatman started as a personal blog when I was 14. Struggling with my own mental health and noticing how adults often dismissed the problems teenagers faced, I began writing about issues like body image, eating disorders, and academic stress. My goal was to bridge the gap between teenagers and adults, and when my efforts started getting some heed, I decided to do more.

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At first, I tried educating adults and teachers about teen mental health, but after shadowing a psychiatrist, I realized that the best way to make a difference was to help teenagers directly. Aatman shifted its focus to giving students practical and relatable mental health education.

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One of my first sessions was in a tribal school, where I learned about five recent student suicides caused by family and societal pressure. This deeply moved me. I saw how issues like emotional dependency, bullying, substance abuse, and inappropriate touch were affecting teenagers, especially in underprivileged areas. I created workshops to address these problems and help students build emotional strength. However, private schools often resisted talking about these topics, showing how mental health is still stigmatized.

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Despite these challenges, Aatman grew into something much bigger. Our team of seven core members, ten workshop facilitators, and over 100 volunteers has reached over 30,000 students through in-person workshops and thousands more through radio shows. We’ve even received support from the Indian Academy of Pediatrics. Along the way, we developed feedback systems, simplified mental health concepts from the ICD, and ensured our sessions were engaging and valuable.

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Radio also became a big part of Aatman’s journey. I hosted Mental Health Var Bolu Kahi, a Marathi radio show that brought mental health conversations into homes across the region. It was the first show of its kind and helped break the stigma surrounding these discussions.

Aatman wasn’t without its struggles.

At one point, conflicts within the team made me question whether to continue. But I always came back to my “why”—the reason I started this journey. That purpose kept me going, even when things felt overwhelming.