At Kisan Mela in Pune, a beeline to a quiet corner on mental health

Dr Suvarna Bobade, a professional counsellor at the Institute for Psychological Health (IPH) in Pune, said of the Latur farmer: “He told us unpredictable weather had caused successive crop losses and he would remain awake at night, anxious and panicky about his family’s future. Through guided discussion and relaxation exercises, he began identifying his triggers and learning small techniques to manage his overwhelming anxiety. He realised his worry, while valid, had started controlling him and we taught him some basic ways around that.”

Dr Vasudha Gokhale, a counselling psychologist, said the Satara farmer struggling with alcohol addiction had his worries. His wife had threatened to leave, and mounting debts added to guilt and self-blame. “He said he drinks to escape his thoughts, but now the thoughts have become darker,” Gokhale said. She guided him through the first steps of self-awareness and encouraged him to seek structured help for de-addiction. She told him that seeking help is not a sign of weakness, it’s courage.

Set up as a dedicated pavilion at this year’s mela, the IPH stall has become a space where farmers can pause, speak and reflect. The initiative focuses on stress, emotional wellbeing and mental health — topics long overlooked, not brought up in rural conversations. Each day, over 1,000 people have been picking up the pamphlets, and more than a dozen sit down to talk to counsellors.

Bobade heads the core team. Counsellors, psychologists and volunteers are engaging with the visiting farmers. “Every day, we meet over a thousand farmers who stop by to explore what mental health really means,” Bobade said. “Some just observe, some participate in our short activities, and over a dozen sit with us for counselling sessions.” “The most common issues they share are uncertainty, financial and technical stress, addiction, anger, and anxiety,” she said. “Men make up nearly 90 per cent of the visitors, and they often speak of silent suffering.”

A government statement last Thursday, at the legislative council session in Nagpur, said Maharashtra recorded 781 suicide by farmers in the first nine months of 2025 due to loans, crop failure and excessive rainfall. Counsellor Ravibala Lele, who has been part of IPH’s Triveni team for four years, said their message to farmers is simple yet powerful, “Paristithi badal nahin sakte, lekin manostithi badal sakte hain (We can’t change our circumstances, but can change the state of mind).” Lele said while men often stay silent, women farmers tend to confront their struggles head-on. “They are fighters,” she said. “Even when burdened with work and family stress, they continue to move forward, often without much support.”

One such visitor to the pavilion was a 41-year-old woman from Beed district who had been battling depression while single-handedly managing the farm. Another was a woman (35) from Akola, the wife of a farmer addicted to alcohol. Through brief counselling, she found strength in the idea that her life and her children’s future still depend on her own emotional survival. “Most people here have never thought about what ‘mind’ actually means,” Gokhale said. “We explain through small activities, like our emotion meter, how the intensity of emotions depends on the way we think.”

The ‘emotion meter’ prompts visitors to identify feelings tied to daily farming challenges, from uncertain rainfall to crop failure. Through such exercises, farmers learn to recognise their emotional patterns and how conscious thinking can help regulate anxiety and anger. “Vichar par vichar karo,” Gokhale said. “Think about your thoughts.”