SUPPORT FOR THE MIND - Iswar Sankalpa

22/04/2026

What are the realities and challenges of counselling on the streets of Kolkata? Naya Daur continues to show up where conditions of care fall short, providing support in spaces where it is otherwise denied.

15/04/2026

Dr. K.L. Narayanan's work pushed us to question who is excluded from care and why. On his death anniversary, we remember his vision of dignity, rights, and community-based care—principles that continue to shape our work every day.

07/04/2026

Mental health care cannot remain confined to institutions when the need exists within communities.

Through the Urban Mental Health Programme, implemented by Iswar Sankalpa in collaboration with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, door-to-door awareness becomes a critical intervention that brings conversations on mental health into everyday spaces.

Community volunteers and social workers engage directly with households, sharing knowledge, addressing stigma, and building an understanding of mental well-being through KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, Practice) messages. These interactions are not isolated acts of awareness, but part of a sustained effort to build trust, enable early identification, and connect individuals to care.

In a context where access to mental health support is often limited, such community-based approaches become essential—not only for treatment, but for prevention, dignity, and the possibility of seeking help without fear.

01/04/2026

31/03/2026

Masculinity teaches men to endure rather than ask, to suppress rather than feel, and to survive alone.

But survival was never meant to be solitary.

When men are denied the language of vulnerability, distress turns into silence, isolation, and often crisis. Male shelters exist not just to provide space, but to interrupt this silence.

Care is not weakness. Asking is not failure.
Reframing masculinity means making space for rest, for support, and for being held.

20/03/2026

Who is allowed personhood, and under what conditions do we recognise someone as fully human?

Neurodiversity is often spoken about as difference, but it is equally about how systems respond to that difference, whether through inclusion and support or through exclusion, control, and neglect. For many individuals with psychosocial disabilities, this response is not neutral; it shapes access to dignity, participation, and the fundamental right to live with recognition and respect.

Experiences such as homelessness, institutionalisation, and abandonment are not isolated or accidental, but are produced through systems that fail to hold people in ways that are sustaining and just. When support is absent or conditional, what is at stake is not only well-being, but personhood itself.

At Iswar Sankalpa, we work toward building community-based support systems that centre dignity, belonging, and the right to participate in everyday life, recognising that recovery is not about compliance, but about creating the conditions in which individuals can exist, connect, and rebuild at their own pace.

This Neurodiversity Awareness Week calls for a shift beyond recognition toward accountability, and toward reimagining systems in ways that do not make personhood conditional, but instead affirm the right to life, dignity, and belonging for all.

16/03/2026

Game day at Marudyan ⚽

Afternoons here often turn into football matches - a space where movement, laughter, and friendly competition bring everyone together. Moments like these build routine, connection, and community.

At Iswar Sankalpa, care is not only about support systems and services. Sometimes, it also looks like a football game on an ordinary afternoon.

13/03/2026

Restoration is not just about finding someone’s address. It is about helping them find their way back to belonging.

At Iswar Sankalpa, restoration supports individuals experiencing homelessness and psychosocial disabilities to reconnect with their families, communities, and support systems. The journey home is often built from fragments of memory : a market from childhood, a nearby temple, a railway station, small clues that help trace the path back.

Through careful preparation, family counselling, community engagement, and continued follow-up care, the team works to ensure that returning home is not just possible, but sustainable.

So far, more than 550 homeless persons with psychosocial disabilities have been reunited with their families across India and neighbouring countries.

Because restoration is more than a reunion. It is the rebuilding of dignity, relationships, and hope.

08/03/2026

Care work is often understood through large gestures, but in reality it unfolds through quiet, consistent acts that sustain the everyday life of a community. At Iswar Sankalpa, women caregivers play an essential role in supporting residents as they navigate recovery, safety, and the process of rebuilding their lives. Through their presence, patience, and attentiveness, they help create an environment where individuals can begin to feel secure and valued again.

On International Women's Day, we recognise the women who continue to stand at the forefront of care within our shelter homes. Their work is not only about assistance or supervision, but about sustaining relationships of trust, dignity, and belonging that allow recovery to take root.

05/03/2026

Today we said goodbye to Asha Devi as she prepared to return home after spending time at Pratyay.

Halfway homes like Pratyay are spaces where people can pause, recover, and rebuild their lives with care and support. Sometimes, they become a bridge back to family and community.

We wish Asha Devi strength, dignity, and happiness for the road ahead.

02/03/2026

This Holi, we celebrate the colours of healing, hope, and belonging. In spaces of safety and care, recovery finds its strength and joy returns gently, one shade at a time. May this festival remind us that everyone deserves dignity, shelter, and compassionate mental health support. 🌸✨





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