Mumbai Diary Page: Saturday scene

If you're troubled, there's help online
WITH World Hypertension Day tomorrow, Mumbaikars are turning to the internet to seek help for emotional and mental health problems. HealthEminds (www.healtheminds.com), a Bangalore-based website that offers confidential therapy via online real-time face to face video sessions to people undergoing emotional and mental problems has 1200 people from the city calling every month.

Ankita Puri, Co-founder of HealthEminds says, "We have 40 experts from across India who offers their expertise in various fields. People mostly seek help with respect to depression, marriage counselling, addictions, stress and anxiety. The sessions are for 45 minutes to an hour."

Precluding taboo and lack of time as an excuse, this innovative platform sees more than 200 calls per day from across India. With ‘It's good to ask for help' as its tagline, this portal is a lifesaver for those in need of a listening ear. Technology for a good cause, helping to make the city mentally healthy, gets a thumbs up from us.

Landmark day for LGBT community
IT MAY be hard to believe, but it was only in 1990 that homosexuality was removed from the list of mental disorders by the General Assembly of the World Health Organization. This marked the beginning of the end of medical homophobia - and was a step forward in the acceptance of alternative sexualities. That decision is commemorated on May 17 as the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. We look forward to all discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people ending soon!

MARCHING ON: The Queer Pride parade held in the city in January

When the going gets hot...
IN THE height of summer, there is nothing more refreshing than to splash around in a cool body of water. Not all of us can afford that luxury in the city, but if one takes a short trip out of the urban hub, it can be a pleasant experience.

COOL RUNNINGS: Fun amidst the waves in the Bhatsa river (below) while vehicles get a wash and tankers fill up at the Ulhas river in Badlapur (above). PICS/SHRIKANT KHUPERKAR

We saw throngs of people out for a swim and an entire day by the water, in fact, in the Bhatsa river at Khadavli. While in the Ulhas river at Badlapur, not only were people swimming, they were giving their vehicles a good wash as well. Also, some water tanker operators were filling up their tankers to supply to housing societies too.

Not who, but where!
WHILE waiting for an autorickshaw in the western suburbs the other day, we noticed a middle-aged couple trying to hail an auto as well, a few feet up the road from us. They kept calling, "Rick-sha! Rick-shaa!" to the passing autowallahs, who of course seemed to be in a zone of their own.

One rickshaw slowed down for the couple, who continued saying "Ricksha, ricksha!" The auto driver remarked to them, "Arre bhai humko maaloom hai ki hum ricksha hain. Aapko kahaan jaana hai, bataao!"

Because, of course, the trick is to get the attention of the rickshaw zooming past, by shouting your destination. If they are so inclined, they will stop!