Bengaluru: Manotsava, the national mental health festival, will be held in the city on November 8 and 9 at The Lalit Ashok, Bengaluru.
Co-hosted by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies Foundation (RNPF), National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), the festival will bring together leading voices from mental health, science, policy, art, technology, and lived experience, alongside thousands of participants from across the country.
Over two days, Manotsava 2025 will create space for dialogue that connects the personal to the societal, the cultural to the scientific, and the clinical to the everyday.
On November 10 and 11, NCBS will host an invite-only neuroscience research symposium, themed ‘Emerging biology of neuropsychiatric disorders’.
It aims to deepen dialogues around brain research by uniting leading neuroscientists from around the world.
The public programme at The Lalit Ashok will feature 50-plus sessions, exploring a wide range of themes, including childhood and behaviour, teen mental health, caregiving, marriage and harmony, workplace burnout, psychedelic as therapeutics, and much more.
Conversations will also highlight the mind–body connection through discussions on disability, ageing and the gut–brain axis.
Speakers at this year’s festival include Dr Richard J Davidson (William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds), Rohini Nilekani (Chairperson, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Executive Chairperson and Founder of Biocon Limited), Dr Prabha Chandra (NIMHANS), Prof Vidita Vaidya (TIFR Mumbai), Neha Bhat (Author and Arts-based Sexual Trauma Psychotherapist), Dr Kaz De Jong (Medecin Sans Frontieres), Bakul Dua (Mommy Mix Tapes), Rahul Roy (Filmmaker), Aparna Piramal Raje (Author), Dr Nandita Iyer (Author, Health and Life coach) among others.
Manotsava will also debut ‘Belong-a-luru’ — a music-led, multi-disciplinary culture project — by folk-rock band Swarathma that explores what it means to belong in the cities we live in.
This theme is deeply connected to Manotsava’s mission of encouraging dialogues on mental health amid rising isolation and alienation.
The festival is open to all, welcoming students, professionals, caregivers, and health practitioners.
New to Manotsava 2025 will be a dedicated children’s zone and special programming on early childhood through interactive formats.
The first edition of Manotsava, held in October 2024, welcomed 2,300-plus participants across 70 expert-led sessions.
Its success highlighted the need for a festival that enables the public to engage directly with experts on mental health while finding a vibrant and inclusive space to deepen their understanding.
The second edition builds on this momentum, reaffirming the festival’s mission to make mental health discussions accessible, celebratory, and community-driven.
With interactive events, panel discussions, and artistic performances, Manotsava 2025 aspires to spark new ways of thinking about mental health, where curiosity, compassion and community come together to shape a healthier future.
To know more, click www.nationalmentalhealthfestival.com
