This weekend, instead of going to a library or a bookstore to pick up a new book to read, head to Koramangala Social. Borrow a person as a book and listen to their life story. If this idea sounds weird or funny, then you certainly should try this new experience. YourDOST, an online counselling and emotional wellness platform in association with Social Offline hosts Living Stories. It’s a project to initiate conversations between persons who act as books and others who walk in as readers.
This is the first edition of Living Stories in Bengaluru. “The idea behind this unusual concept is to start a dialogue about mental health. In India, talking about it is still a taboo,” says Puneet Manuja, co-founder and COO, YourDOST. “Many of us might be going through mental issues, but we don’t speak up even in front of friends and family because we fear being judged,” he adds further. At this edition, 16 individuals will play the roles of books with different titles. Each one of them will share their story of coping with a mental issue or a condition in the past and will allow the reader to know more.
Some of the titles are Wave after Wave, Paint Me Blue Paint Me Rainbow, Not Self Help Self Love and One Too Many Kilometers. “One of our ‘books’ is Farida Rizwan, who is titled Wave after Wave. She shares her story about being born with club feet, then having a baby with special needs and surviving cancer. She tells the reader how she has overcome mental health issues because of all that was going on in her life,” explains Puneet. The event is conceptualised and curated by Sanchana Krishnan, a writer, photographer and traveller who is on a personal mission to work in the mental health sector.
Entry Rs 300. August 5, 9 am. At Koraman-gala Social. Details: 40515253
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