Doctor of Happiness: An Art Essay

SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI is the founder of Doctor of Happiness, helping young people with depression and other mental conditions through her art and online platform. Here she speaks with VANESSA PATEL about what inspired her to open up this forum, and what a difference art can make to our well-being.

- VANESSA PATEL

Q: Hullo Sukriti, can you please tell us about yourself and your organization, Doctor of Happiness?

When I started teaching, about 10 years back, I was interacting with a lot of young people. My students were aged 18 and 19, and I realized there were a lot of mental health issues in the country. Our students are facing a lot of pressure, and the pressure isn’t just about studies, it’s from multiple, complicated situations that young people are dealing with. To say that “College life is the best life” and “Youth is the best time” may not be true for everybody.

I began thinking that there has to be something that can be done for the mental health of Indian youth. I don’t have a psychology background; I am an artist. When I was in school, I was also in a very dark space and art helped me cope, so the thought came to me, “Why can’t I create a platform?” Before this, there were so many things I wanted to do but they never worked out. It took me three years to come up with the idea that art can inspire people. Can art be the reason for people to become hopeful?