The First BLOG

This is the first one that I am putting on the site and it is the very first one that I am writing. It has been twenty five years since we started journey of this movement called IPH. We as a bunch of enthusiastic professionals wanted to discover many meanings of Mental Health; away from its restrictive framework of Mental Disorders.

In this journey we experimented with many ideas. In fact, we started on experiments first and then the laboratory i.e. the institute appeared later. Very funny indeed . . . but true! When we embarked upon the idea ‘Tuff Teens Club’ much before formal launch of IPH, we did not know that after 25 years this mall little seed is going to metamorphose into career conference called VEDH, and is going to be held in eight cities of Maharashtra every year.
We did not know that there are going to be structured platforms for teenagers like ‘COOL CLUB’ and ‘MINT CAFE’ that we have today.

For us, not thinking about ‘GAINS’ was a key to endure the early pains. When we started our corporate consultancy work as a dire economic need to help our organization remain afloat we did not know that 25 years later we would be associated with a elite group of corporate giants. I personally did not know that because of these training programmes, I am going to sit as an Independent Director on a board of a BSE listed company.

When we published in a ‘Cyclostyled’ format our newsletter ‘MANAS’ in 1990, we did not know that I would be righting this Blog for a freshly updated website. It has been a testing journey most of the times with challenges coming in groups them in isolation; some threatening the existence of this organization. When we started on 23/03/1990, we had to wait for a week to get our first client. The ‘wise’ family entered IPH on 1st had 170 clients in a days out-patient services . . . Quantum leap? . . . Yes! . . . but after 25 long years.

I was discussing the other day with my admin team to give ergonomic, modern chairs to all professionals at IPH. For more than thirty executive chairs the quotation was beyond INR 1.5 lakhs. I okayed it with my signature in a second . . . Visual of our first set of donated chairs-table clearly in front of my eyes . . . why; when I sit today in comfort of a AC chamber with pleasant surroundings I recall on my days while I have consulted in a stuffy room without windows, in company of overfed rats and cockroaches and yet giving my best to my clients . .

. . . This is one thing that has not changed over the years. GIVING YOUR BEST ! . . . That has now become a motto of our team. Unless we do our Best, how will we be able to crack the big wall of STIGMA surrounding the field of Mental Health? . . . In fact our website today in one testimony of this continuous endeavour. Some things have been achieved but many areas remain to be explored.

Our newly designed website is an inter phase between IPH and the global community. We wish to reach each one of you with our goal of ‘Mental Health For ALL.’ We are grateful to the creative team of Marathe Infotech for taking more than keen interest in the making of this site. I personally appreciate members of IPH team who have helped us in upgrading this site. And dear Readers, finally I look forward for your feedback !

Till we meet Again . . . Good Luck

3rd September 2014

Dr. Anand Nadkarni
Founder, Managing Trustee, IPH