The conversation around mental health has been in the spotlight for a while now, but taking care of it is still not a norm. In an attempt to take this important conversation offline, Vitamin Stree organised VS Mic Check, a spoken word poetry event that aimed to draw attention to this cause. Hosted by spoken word poet and comedian Jackie Thakkar, VS Mic Check was held at OverAct, Versova, and had a curated line-up of 10 poets, which included some of the best on the spoken word circuit in Mumbai.
Each poet has a deep understanding of the issue, and they dealt with various aspects of the broad theme of mental health, through their heartfelt performances. Some of the topics touched upon include depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, helping a friend deal with a mental health disorder, and more. Here are the performances from the event:
Artistic expression is an effective and engaging way of addressing an issue, and creating a platform for open communication. Through VS Mic Check, the Vitamin Stree team has attempted to create a community of people, who don’t shy away from feeling a little deeper, opening the conversation a little wider, and smashing the stigma a little harder.