LEADING THE CHARGE - MALIKA NOOR MEHTA

THE YOUNG SCION OF AN ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY ROOTED IN CULTURE AND POLITICS MAY HAVE DIVERGED FROM HER EXPECTED PATH BY CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF MENTAL HEALTH. YET, SHE BELIEVES SHE'S CARRYING FORWARD THE MOST IMPORTANT LEGACY PASSED DOWN FROM HER PARENTS: THEIR VALUES

- ANANDITA DE

Her academic credentials are impressive, to say the least — Smith, Harvard, Columbia. Yet, Malika Noor Mehta is probably the most unassuming scholar you’re likely to meet. She dislikes talking about where she studied but is eager to share what she’s learned. The daughter of cultural activist Tasneem Zakaria Mehta (of the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum) and public policy luminary Vikram Singh Mehta, Malika’s passion lies in a different realm — that of mental health. Working at online platform InnerHour (now Amaha) during the pandemic as a content strategist, she quickly realised she wanted to counsel people, prompting her to return to university at age 32 for formal training in psychology and mental health.

In 2023, she earned a dual Master’s in Education (Ed.M.) in Mental Health Counselling and Psychological Counselling at Columbia University. Back in Mumbai, she has started her own practice. “I have always needed to be on the ground. By that, I mean, I need to work with the people I am trying to help,” says Malika, who chats with HELLO! about her inspirations and dreams.