Mental health is still a taboo in the Indian Society. Now&Me, the brainchild of Bani Singh and Drishti Gupta aims at sensitizing people about mental health and also acts as a platform for people to talk about their feelings without the fear of being judged.
Bani and Drishti are 22 years of age. They have graduated from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University in May 2019 with a degree in statistics. It is said that you can not act upon something unless you go through the same yourself. Bani and Drishti had a similar experience that shaped their lives.
They saw that people in their inner circle were going through certain issues but were not able to open up or share their feelings. This got them to think about how there must be many more around them going through the same things or even more but not finding an outlet to share. Thus was born Now&Me
The website was launched in October 2018, when Bani and Drishti were still students in college. They had a vision of making something big out of it. While students around them were living life as it comes, these two were trying to make a change in society. Working during free time between classes, working during exams and being on call for hours at home with each other became a routine. Soon, they established a good web presence for themselves, with their website ranking amongst the top 12K in the country.
Now&Me acts as a platform for people going through a rough phase in life and wanting someone to talk to. Even those who want to share their achievements and success stories can be found. It is a community that is growing with each passing day.
Such an initiative was the need of the hour. It has provided people with a place where they can open up and talk without the fear of being judged or questioned. One of the benefits of having such a setup is that since it is online, people who are intimidated by talking face to face can easily express themselves through their words.
The duo went ahead to organise events in Delhi-NCR about mental wellbeing and its awareness. The most recent one being on ‘Stress relief and Mindfulness’ at IIT-Delhi. They have also been able to create offline no-judgement zones, talking circles, network therapy and safe places to encourage catharsis.
It is necessary to talk about how you feel for your personal growth. This space provides that opportunity. The various blogs and videos that are available on the platform act as resources, not only for people going through a particular issue but also for others who can help someone they know who is going through those issues.
Bani and Drishti aim for Now&Me to be the #1 mental wellbeing platform. Their vision is to encourage more and more people to understand the importance of opening up and sharing their struggles. They want to keep the platform free of cost and also provide users with access to the right kind of resources and awareness