Dr Supriya Agarwal's Healing Minds- A Mental Health & Wellness Initiative

01/10/2025

Navratri 2025

For me, celebrating Navratri, which literally means ‘nine nights,’ has always been fascinating and awe-inspiring, even as a young child. It has always made me revisit my wonder about the powerful role of symbolism in Hindu culture and its festivals. For one, Goddess Durga—the one supreme Goddess that we celebrate and pray to, sing and dance for in these nine days and nights of Navratri—is about celebrating womanhood and the power of being a woman in all its roles and forms: from being a powerful force and energy of nature born to counterbalance the masculine force and energy, to being a girl child, a daughter, a mother, a wife, a nurturer in the most benevolent, gentle, serene form of her Gauri avatar, a creative force which represents the only power in the universe to create, evolve, and nurture life, to being the destroyer of all that is dead and decaying in her form of Kaali avatar—a form that is dark, destructive, and unstoppable.

The Durga Puja once again comes to an end today, the ninth day. I celebrate Navratri this year not only by praying to Durga, but also by recognizing the same potential, the same grit and grace in my two daughters, the same strength and resilience in my own self, my mother, and my grandmother, and every strong yet vulnerable woman that I have come across in my life—be it as a friend, a cousin, a student, a teacher, a fellow doctor, a high-ranking professional, or a hard-working maid. Whether Indian-born who shares my skin color or language, or foreign-born who may speak a different language or have grown up imbibing different core values, all share the common universal spirit of womanhood.

जयंती मंगला काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी।
दुर्गा शिवा क्षमा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते॥

“Om Jayanti Mangala Kali Bhadrakali Kapalini, Durga Kshama Shiva Dhatri Swaha Swadha Namostute.”

Salutations to Her who is ever-victorious, auspicious, beyond time, controller of life and death, embodiment of forgiveness, supporter of the universe, and the final receiver of all offerings to gods and ancestors.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPP_YLUiCcF/?igsh=bGJzMjljd2ZwaXB5

10/08/2024

This page is my happy space…However, I do not feel happy today as the news about a young female doctor being sexually assaulted and murdered in Kolkatta medical college circulates. This news has shook me so much. To me this news is not only about crime against a woman doctor, it is against humanity. It is not a woman who’s dignity has been violated, it is the society itself who has been ripped open and exposed violently and inhumanly.

There are so many more examples in just last two weeks that could be added to the list that exposes how corroded and vulgar a section of our society is, especially, when it feels it is protected by the anonymity of the social media.

A martyr’s wife is talked about in vulgar and degraded manner, a female athlete, an olympic champion who brought laurels to the country and won 2 bronze medals is being commented about how she looks and talks rather than what she has achieved is yet another example of objectifying women.

From a female influencer being whistled at, and eve teased by a bunch of teenagers somewhere in Bihar, to mob harrasement of a woman pillion with her husband in Lucknow, to a early morning woman walker being groped from back whilst she waited in the morning light in Bangalore, to a priest and accomplice ra**ng a women who was looking for some respite from domestic violence in Maharashtra, to a girl being drugged and sexually assaulted by her long time friend and accomplice in Hyderabad, to a young doctor who had a life ahead of her being brutally inhumanly assaulted and murdered in a state run medical college in Kolkatta. The news of these incidents have not stopped pouring in last 2 weeks!

And, shamefully, these are not few incidences here and there. I am not incorrect if I say that every 1 out of 2 women/ girl in our country is misbehaved/eve teased/ groped.

Our heart is bleeding. I do not feel safe, I do not see my daughters safe. This in the land where a woman is prayed as a goddess and Shakti.

And, the most disturbing part is how in society many would respond. It would be advocating tying women down, advocating chaperone for them, blaming them for being not alert enough, or being out at night, or not allowing them to move out and about. Or how some would turn this into an anti nationalist write up, or pounce on some propaganda or other.

When what we really need is to not laugh off even the minor of crimes and very strict rapid action, security for women. To not blame woman ,not dehumanize her, not villianise her, not invalidate or sabotage her.

And, really, the women we are talking about here or have been victims in the past or now are mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, friends, colleagues.

Let me be bold enough to request each one of you including male and female to
just ask one random female within your family or friend group - how many times they have faced harassment of some form or other BECAUSE she is a woman/ girl. (and the question is not if they have faced) but how many times they have faced.

And, you see the truth as it is.

I have no words. I feel deeply hurt as so many of us here and across the country, as a doctor, as a woman, as a citizen of this country, as a human.

I do not wish to be ashamed of being an Indian. But, right now, that’s exactly how I feel. I feel ashamed, and hurt, and deeply saddened. And, angry. So very angry.

May justice be served soon.

🙏

16/07/2024

ॐ तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे महादेवाय धीमहि तन्नो रुद्रः प्रचोदयात्॥
Aum Tadpurushaaya Vidvamahe,Mahadevaaya Dheemahi Tanno Rudra Prachodayaat ||

ॐ ॐ ॐ

‘Shravan’

Even as a child, I was fascinated by Shiva..the ‘destroyer’ from Hindu trinity in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation and destruction are personified as a triad of deities- Brahama, Vishnu, and Shiva.

When I think of Shiva, I am reminded of the visits to the Shiva temple with my family as devotees during the period of Shravan. Thus, felt inclined to bring together this little piece of writing on ‘Shravan’ the auspicious period according to Hindu calendar that is about to commence from 22nd July. To seek blessings of the one who is mighty yet, kind. Destroyer, yet, the most benevolent. None other than ‘Shiva’ - the Aadi-ananta- the one who is infinite; with no beginning and no end.

According to the Hindu calendar, the Shravan month, the fifth month, is one of the holiest months and begins in mid to late July and ends in late August (22nd July- 15th August). In the Tamil calendar, it is known as Āvani.

It is called so because, Shravan Nakshatra is considered to govern the sky on Poornima or full-moon day; therefore, the name, as it is derived from the Nakshatra.

In this month, every Monday is celebrated as Shravan somvar across all the temples, with Dharanatra over the Shivling, bathing it with holy water and milk throughout the day and night. And, devotees worship by fasting on Mondays and praying to Lord Shiva. No other Mondays of other months are so greatly honoured. Tuesdays are devoted to the worship of Gauri and Fridays are for Lakshmi. Saturn is worshipped on all Shravana Saturdays, with the objective of obtaining wealth and these Saturdays are known as Sampat Sanivara (wealth Saturdays). Wednesdays (Mercury or Buddh) and Thursdays (Jupiter or Guruvara) are also days for worshipping Buddha and Guru. During Shravana, every Sunday it is essential to worship the Sun.

The puranic story that has been linked to the Shravan is that of The churning of oceans “Samudra Manthan” between Dev (Demi-Gods) and Danav (Demons) that took place in the month of Shravan, and fourteen different types of riches were churned out of the ocean. Thirteen of these were distributed amongst the Dev and Danav’s, except Halahal (poison). Lord Shiva drank the Halahal and stored it in his throat. Hence the name Neelkantha (meaning blue throat) is attributed to Shiva.
To reduce the strong effect of poison, Lord Shiva wore the crescent moon on his head. All the Devs (Demi-Gods), thereafter started offering the Ganges water to Lord Shiva to reduce the effect of poison. Ever since, this event too place in the month of Shravan, all devotees offer the Ganges water to Lord Shiv especially during this month.

Shravan marks the arrival of the southwest monsoon in the Indian subcontinent. It generally overlaps with the month of July-August. It is a period of regular rains and the earth is seen to be rejuvenated and refreshed by almost daily showers.

Many people observe fast during this entire month or maintain a strict vegetarian diet. Some hold fast during Mondays for lord Shiva. Scientifically, fasting during Shravan is highly relevant because, during Shravan, when the monsoon is at its, the digestive system becomes very weak and the presence of microbes increases in the environment. Fasting provides a way to stay on the top of our health and avoid being infected.

Shravan is a very special month for Hindus. There are many important festivals that fall in this month including rakshabandan, janamshtmi, shiv ratri, t**z, Naag panchmi etc. Although, there are all these festivals during Shravana, however, at the centre of it all is the the devotion towards and celebration of ‘Shiva’ - the ‘Neelkanth’ the ‘Nataraj’, the ‘Ardhanareshwar’. The one who can be the ‘peaceful householder and be called ‘Shankar’, but, can also be the supreme destructive force to eradicate evil, annihilate earth so as to restart the cycle of new life and new beginnings after destruction and be called ‘Bhairav’.

May this Shravan month be auspicious to all and may it brings health to you and give you immense opportunities to participate in the cleansing of mind and soul.

Supriya

10/02/2024

My dear second born
I’m either pulling my hair
Or smiling like a crazy goon
Since you have been around,
You demand my attention
in your baby voice,
shouting mummy hundred times
in a breath, clear and loud.
There is never a moment of dullness, no!
But, oh yes! of dreads; many…
How you conjure trouble, everytime,
it’s surely uncanny!
I often wonder what antic
you’ ll get into next?
Will you climb high onto the chair,
Or, for a broken biscuit, you’ll get all vexed?
No, never a moment of quiet or calm; now,
from 5 am till 9 when you fall asleep and rest.
I am more of a crazy mum now,
To not loose my sanity, I’m trying my best.
Your smile brightens up my day,
And, your laughter makes me laugh too,
I find myself dancing on the tunes of ring around roses and jiggling to the beats of baby shark do do do do dooo.
Thinking about you each time
warms up my heart,
Twinkle in your eyes is our joy to behold,
And spring in your step is wonder apart.
The clock is ticking and
you are growing up too fast,
Even though you drive me crazy each day,
I don’t want these moments to ever last.
The innocent pleasure and the wondrous
spark that I see in your eyes,
Make you a miracle, bundle of innocence, with no doubts, no half-truths, no guiles, no lies.
I would not trade these moments ever, for anything, my little rockstar, my baby punk,
I gleefully, accept this mum brain of last two years, rejoice, not regret the clothes, size 12, now hidden somewhere in old trunk.
You are my shine, my sparkling star, my lamp, my guiding light,
I am holding on to you forever,
You too, hold on to us- me, didi and papa,
strong and tight.

06/02/2024

Re share 2019 If your brain gets muddled up and your heart starts to race,

If your breathing becomes shallow and your hands start to shake,

If your tummy always hurts and all voices around start to rake,

If your mouth often dries up and thoughts rush; without a break,

If your eyes become unfocussed and your smile is a fake,

If your days pass in daze, and night after night you stay awake,

If you fear people might come to know, you worry being called a flake,

If any of the above and more, is what you often face, then

IT IS better to seek help my dear, for your mind and body’s sake.

05/02/2024

Morning morning?
Yes mummy
Are you here already?
Yes mummy
May I sleep a wink more?
No Mummy
Are you kidding?
Ha ha ha!
😩😢

25/12/2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Oh! Yeah! Sure… but, a mum knows any moment in year can be the most wonderful time or the most wonderful time of year can turn into disasters:), because our world is ruled by mischief makers who run around on two feet and a brain programmed to trigger ‘chaos’ and ‘havoc’ button. That’s why they look best tucked into beds sleeping, or tightly held in arms hugging/ cuddling.😂Merry Christmas to all!

18/12/2023

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18/12/2023

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11/12/2023

No filters no changes…pure nature, Christmas lights and a beginner’s mind at appreciating the beautiful view in front of me..

04/12/2023

Christmas market…sisters exchange heart..

01/12/2023

Welcome! my dear old friend,
Being a mum the only song in my head that I can hum to welcome you is the rhyme..Sun sun Mr golden sun please shine down on me:)