Why we need a pandemic to focus on mental health, asks Shama
As someone who has battled depression and bipolar disorder, Shama Sikander has been very vocal about mental health issues. But the actor laments how the topic gains prominence only when there’s a crisis like the current pandemic.
“Even during the last lockdown in 2020, everyone spoke about mental health because they suddenly realised its importance. The moment the lockdown ended, everybody forgot about it... it’s not going to work,” she rues.
Pointing out how the discussion around mental health came back in focus only after the second wave of Covid-19 hit the country, the actor insists we need to talk about it on a day-to-day basis. “I’ve recently seen big celebrities resume the dialogue around mental health. Suddenly, it has become the talking point. But I’ve been talking about it all year long. It should be talked about all the time, lockdown or no lockdown, pandemic or no pandemic,” she says.
Sikander, 39, feels every person must ensure that people around them are doing fine during these testing times. “You just get busy with worldly things and think that you’re fine. But you’re not. You need to heal. People are suffering from within. I wonder when we are going to realise that mental health is the most important thing, and not just during the tough times,” she adds.
As for herself, the actor is using this time to heal and meditate to keep dark thoughts at bay, something that she recommends others to do as well. “I’m a very spiritual person and I’ve been meditating more and more over the past year. It has made me more accepting of this situation. The catastrophe has happened for us to realise how fragile life is and how we need to stop and understand the value of life and what it is offering us,” she concludes.
Indrajit Sharma, popularly known by his stage name Tubby, has been in the Indian music industry for over 30 years and has collaborated with many musicians. He has established himself as a Jazz funk musician with his album Funktub, and has also composed music for films like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag(2013), Raazi(2018) and Chapaak(2020), among others.
“There has been quite a lot of changes since I started. Earlier, everything happened live... like live orchestra and then, things slowly started shifting to synthesisers and pianos. Then over time, things shifted to computers. The major change I’ve noticed is, until the early 90s, music was very Indian and Desi. New artistes brought western influence to the industry,” Tubby opines on the changes in music in the industry.
Tubby who dons multiple hats of a musician, producer and composer will be singing in his new song! He says, “It is just like life’s progression. You start off as a musician and you keep graduating to different fields in the same environment. As time passed, I wanted to do different things, so I did everything I could. The journey of this progression has been fabulous.”
“Anything can inspire me, something as random as the colour of the sky or the trees. That is what pushes me to think if I can do any better. I always want to create my own identity with each and every piece of music I write,” Tubby shares.
Talking about the kind of music that inspires him, he adds, “I love Jazz funk and instrumental hindustani classical. I listen to it often to learn how great artistes come up with such ideas. I try to understand their thought process and the ways in which their lives influence their music.”