Sukriti is the founder of Doctor of Happiness. She is an artist who is helping young people with depression and other mental conditions through her art and online platform. Her Instagram account tagline is “A Reservoir of Hope & Encouragement.” She helps youth handle peer pressure, and the burden of being politically correct all the time, feeling it to be the need of the hour.

Sukriti-Vadhera-Kohli.jpg

Sukriti Vadhera Kohli

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">AN ART ESSAY</span></h3>
<h4><span style="color: #999999;">SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI </span>is the founder of Doctor of Happiness, helping young
  people with depression and other mental conditions through her art and online platform. Here she speaks with<span
    style="color: #f5b153;"> VANESSA PATEL </span>about what inspired her to open up this forum, and what a difference
  art can make to our well-being.</h4>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: Hullo Sukriti, can you please tell us about yourself
    and your organization, Doctor of Happiness?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> When I started teaching, about 10 years back,
  I was interacting with a lot of young people. My students were aged 18 and 19, and I realized there were a lot of
  mental health issues in the country. Our students are facing a lot of pressure, and the pressure isn’t just about
  studies, it’s from multiple, complicated situations that young people are dealing with. To say that “College life is
  the best life” and “Youth is the best time” may not be true for everybody.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I began thinking that there has to be something that can be done for the mental health
  of Indian youth. I don’t have a psychology background; I am an artist. When I was in school, I was also in a very dark
  space and art helped me cope, so the thought came to me, “Why can’t I create a platform?” Before this, there were so
  many things I wanted to do but they never worked out. It took me three years to come up with the idea that art can
  inspire people. Can art be the reason for people to become hopeful?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So on January 2, 2018, I started my first online post and the idea was to reach out to
  as many people as possible. I also researched and discovered that there are a lot of artists working on mental health
  all over the world. They were doing a lot of dark stuff and I felt, “What is the point if I’m already in a dark space,
  and I see a dark illustration and I’m pulled into it? It doesn’t help. In fact it pulls me back.” So, consciously I
  decided that I would not use colors in my illustrations, only black and white in a minimalistic way. I would say
  something very profound in a simple way, so that it didn’t complicate, it didn’t overwhelm, it didn’t create more
  anxiety, it was not gyan, only something which would bring smiles to faces. I make a conscious effort to make positive
  art. It is very difficult, actually, for a subject like mental health. I had to really rack my brain and research a
  lot.</p>
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">I make a conscious effort to make positive art.</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">It is very difficult, actually, for a subject like mental health.</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">I had to really rack my brain and research a lot.</span>
</h5>
<hr>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: You use art to tell a story or convey a message. Your
    illustrations also have a quirkiness, although that doesn’t take away from the somber topics you’re addressing. How
    do you inject that little bit of lightheartedness and still make the point?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> It’s really a big challenge, but I believe one
  thing: unhappy people make other people unhappy, and happy people make other people happy. To be very honest, with the
  challenges we face in life, it’s difficult to be happy all the time. To make art like that I need to become happy
  first. I’m a mother of a six-year-old, I have my family to look after, I have my work to do, so sometimes it’s a
  challenge to make myself happy.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">But I’ll tell you one thing, the secret lies in dealing with daily problems. Because I
  cope with them I know how hard it is, and I overcome them and illustrate that. Whatever I’m dealing with I’m
  illustrating, so the quirkiness comes from the fact that the problems are there but I’m going to overcome them. I have
  illustrated many books, but for the first time in many years I have been able to use art for something that creates
  value in other people’s lives.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">My quirkiness remains the same, but what I create for Doc of Happiness is very profound.
  Sometimes, even I am encouraged by my illustrations – when I look at something I have made 6 months back.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="lazyload"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/sukriti2_aad048749d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:44:39.839Z" />
</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: I don’t see your work touching on anything topical or
    political because that’s an entirely different subject.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> Well, I want to work purely on mental health,
  but I do sometimes touch upon what’s going on and how to survive it. For example, when all the protests were going on
  around the country, a lot of people with anxiety were not okay to participate. And that was seen as a sign of
  cowardice. I wrote a blog and so many people responded. I supported them not to let anyone convince them they were
  cowards. It was their choice; they could still be at home and support the process. So, while I don’t really illustrate
  on those topics, I do have interactive sessions regarding what is going on right now.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: You’re helping them to handle peer pressure because
    there is so much burden on the youth to be politically correct all the time.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> Yes, absolutely, and it is the need of the
  hour.</p>
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">My quirkiness remains the same,</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">but what I create for Doc of Happiness </span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">is very profound. Sometimes,</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">even I am encouraged by my illustrations.</span>
</h5>
<hr>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: Your Instagram account tagline is “A Reservoir of Hope
    &amp; Encouragement.” How does this help you to connect with your followers?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> I wanted to create an online platform which is
  a reservoir of hope. And when I went for the recent Spokenfest in Mumbai, I had so many followers come to me – people
  with whom I had interacted through direct messaging, but who I didn’t know. They told me that when they’re in a really
  dark place, they search Doc of Happiness and look at my illustrations, and that is their online reservoir of hope.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Nowadays we are using our mobile phones constantly, our eyes are always on the phone. So
  when there is a space like Doc of Happiness, which is not negative or gossipy, and it’s not just humor, it’s something
  meaningful, then I see that it is a reservoir of hope. It was the followers who told me this, so I only recently
  changed the description. Earlier I thought I illustrated to empathize and give hope. Now I realize that it’s actually
  beyond that. There is a bank of goodness lying somewhere which anyone can tap into whenever they wish, like an ATM.
</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">A lot of my followers get in touch with me through direct messaging and, let me tell
  you, there is so much loneliness out there. Even though they may have many followers on social media and many real
  life friends, deep down they feel very lonely. They don’t have anyone to express what they’re feeling.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="lazyload"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/sukriti3_b00bef44d7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:46:33.229Z" />
</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: There are more deaths today through suicide than from
    wars, murder and natural disasters put together. With depression becoming so prevalent, how effective is your reach
    amongst the youth? Is social media a legitimate means of seeking and finding support?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> I’m not a psychiatrist or a psychologist. I’m
  a complete believer in medical science, but I also believe that with medical science we need some kind of meditation
  philosophy, some kind of support system. When we put both together then we can solve things. Whenever I talk with
  someone who is going through a mental issue, I request them to consult a doctor. And because they trust me – of course
  I have to build that trust – they may approach a doctor. There are people who have started therapy as a result.</p>
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">I also believe that with medical science</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">we need some kind of meditation philosophy,</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">some kind of support system.</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">When we put both together</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">then we can solve things.</span>
</h5>
<hr>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As long as Doc of Happiness is helping people overcome their fears, and removing the
  stigma, then it is working, even if it is online. My dream is to one day create a place where people can check in and
  really take care of themselves through organic foods, meditation, prayers and art or music therapy. I’ve never seen a
  place with this concept anywhere in the world, so maybe someday I will be do it, because nothing is impossible.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Young people are lonely and they’re seeking. I’m learning every day that people are
  wanting help, and they are waiting; they are not closed to the idea. I used to think people were closed to advice, but
  everyone is seeking answers. I conducted a workshop on mental health at a college in Mumbai. I told them that I wanted
  it to be an interactive session, so I encouraged the students to ask me questions about their mental health. Not a
  single person put their hand up. I asked them to take a piece of paper and write their question on it, without putting
  their name. At first, I got two questions, then slowly they trickled in, and by the end the session had to be
  extended. I realized that just because they didn’t have the courage to ask me questions, it didn’t mean they weren’t
  seeking advice, or that they were fine. I know that people are ready.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I’ll tell you a crazy thing – twelve top publishers have refused to publish my book
  because they feel it won’t work. I wanted to make a book that costs only 100 to 120 rupees so that anyone can buy it.
  Illustrations do work. So, I decided to self-publish and started printing diaries. My orders are not stopping, which
  means that there is a real demand. Maybe someday the book will also get published; I don’t know how long that will
  take but I’m in no hurry. I’m observing these things and really reflecting. People want to know, but publishers don’t
  understand because there’s still a stigma. It happens the minute I mention mental wellness.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">That’s why I responded to you, because I feel your magazine truly understands the need
  and knows there’s a demand. It may be slow, it may be at a snail’s pace, but even if one percent of readers are
  encouraged from your magazine, you’ve achieved the purpose. If you save one life, you’ve done it.</p>
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">People connect to real life experiences,</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">people connect to things</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">which are spoken from the heart.</span>
</h5>
<hr>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: How much of your own life experience has led you to use
    this means of creating awareness and reaching out to individuals who find it difficult to open up about their mental
    issues?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> I have been invited to conduct workshops on
  mental health at various colleges and students usually message me or ask me to talk at these festivals, so one leads
  to another and it becomes a chain reaction. After my sessions, faculty members usually tell me that even they can
  connect with what I was saying, or they tell me to take a session for the teachers and staff. There is so much stigma
  attached to mental health issues that people feel only a psychologist or a psychiatrist is eligible to talk on the
  subject and they make it very technical and scientific.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I think it’s about the heart. People connect to real life experiences, people connect to
  things which are spoken from the heart, and then I think maybe together we can remove the stigma from it.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/sukriti4_9f11854ed2.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T03:47:29.304Z" />
</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: In most parts of the world, women hold a secondary
    social status across all economic backgrounds. How can we encourage the women in our life to tap into their inherent
    potential?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> I had made an illustration for Women’s Day in
  2019 where I showed a woman peeping inside her own self and light is coming from within her. What I meant to depict is
  that we really need to believe in our own potential. All these years we’ve been conditioned to believe that we cannot
  survive in our own light. So, I think we need to tap into this inner potential, and start believing that we are
  capable enough to overcome anything. There is no other way. Male bashing will not help – we need to realize our own
  potential. We can keep blaming, but we must believe we are good enough. Also, I know a lot of men who completely
  understand, so let’s not make it generic. I feel we need to look deep within and ask, “Am I enough?” When all of us
  are able to answer this with a yes, then we will overcome it.</p>
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">To me, it is paying a debt </span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">of gratitude to my mentor,</span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">because I have survived with </span><br>
  <span style="color: #999999;">the help of his writings and my art.</span>
</h5>
<hr>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #f5b153;">Q: You are a mentor to many people. Do you have a mentor,
    someone who you look up to and wish to emulate? What is it about that person that inspires you?</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #808080;">SVK:</span> I practice Buddhism and I’m most inspired by
  the writings of Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, a Japanese philosopher who is also an author and a photographer. He is somebody who
  has had many dialogues with people all over the world regarding world peace, and his writings are a reservoir of hope
  for me. So, if Doc of Happiness is a reservoir of hope for others, he is my reservoir because his writings point me in
  a positive direction, they show me what is correct and incorrect, and how can I improve myself, again through his
  life. So, yes, he’s my mentor, and I have written to him about this platform. To me, it is paying a debt of gratitude
  to my mentor, because I have survived with the help of his writings and my art. Doc of Happiness is truly for him.</p>
<p><span style="color: #999999;">Instagram &amp; Facebook: @docofhappiness</span></p>
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Art Essay by SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI<br>
  Interviewed by VANESSA PATEL</h4>
<hr>

Doctor of happiness

<h4>
<span style="color: #8b181d"
  >SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI</span
>
is an artist whose mission is to encourage people to discover
well-being. Here she shares her own experience of being courageous, and
how that courage has led to happiness in her family. &nbsp;
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="451"
    height="600"
    alt="dog_and_a_small_boy1"
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy1a_bf94feb6d5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T09:53:34.487Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4>
<span style="color: #d92027"
  ><strong>Courage comes in all sizes</strong></span
>
</h4>

<p>
I have never been a dog or a cat person or, let’s put it this way, an
animal person. I have been fearful of dogs owned by my friends and
family members, and never once thought of overcoming that fear. The same
was true for my husband until our son came into our lives. During the
Covid lockdown, his desire to have a pet became stronger than ever. The
fortunate or unfortunate part was that this six-year-old never threw a
tantrum or insisted; rather, he prayed his way into our hearts.
</p>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="600"
    alt="dog_and_a_small_boy"
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy2_d477dba7e4.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T09:55:19.689Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<p>
Every night for two years, Eklavya prayed with all his heart for his
future dog and for his fearful parents to somehow agree. And just when
our hearts began to melt, he expressed his desire to adopt and not buy a
dog.<br />Completely taken aback, we warned him, “Your dog won’t be as
good looking when he’s no longer a puppy!”<br />Pat came the reply,
“Mom, dad, looks don’t matter!”<br />I think that was our final melting
point. Just like that, our hearts changed, and we adopted an Indie
puppy. Tintin is now a happy, naughty, seven-month-old pup, and very
much a part of our family.&nbsp; This experience teaches me every day
that happiness requires courage, sometimes in small doses, and other
times in large quantities.&nbsp;
</p>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4>
<span style="color: #d92027"
  ><strong>Courage is not the opposite of fear</strong></span
>
</h4>

<p>
Anyone living with fear can tell you how unhappy they feel. In order to
truly become happy, we have to break the shackles of fear. Mental
courage is the willingness to steel our minds and hearts to try
something difficult, knowing that the outcome is uncertain, yet still
being willing to continue in the hope that it will get better.&nbsp;Just
like the old me, a lot of people associate courage with
lion-heartedness, and if they are fearful, they assume that they’re not
courageous. But this thinking is mistaken. Courage is not the lack of
fear. If courage were simply fearlessness, then all serial killers are
probably more courageous than most of us.&nbsp;Nelson Mandela once said,
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph
over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who
conquers that fear.”
</p>

<p>
I have an honest confession to make – I am afraid of our puppy most of
the time, but somehow find the courage when I need to put my hand inside
his mouth to remove toys and other objects.&nbsp;
</p>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="600"
    alt=""
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy3_1_c86785ffcc.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:09:42.416Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4>
<span style="color: #d92027"
  ><strong>Where to find courage?</strong></span
>
</h4>

<p>
Just like hope and compassion, courage lies within us at all times. We
might have to dig deep, but it does exist. How do we access it?
</p>

<h5>
<span style="color: #934646">To begin</span>
</h5>

<ul>
<li>Believe in yourself more than your fears.<br /></li>
<li>
  The next and crucial thing is to take that first step.&nbsp;<br /><em
    >Try this small exercise: for a month, try and say yes to the
    opportunities that look scary and then watch how you respond. You
    will be surprised.</em
  >
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>
  Bravely overcoming one small fear gives you the courage to take on the
  next one.
</li>
</ul>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="486"
    alt=""
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy4_1_6490ee141e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:21:30.118Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="486"
    alt="dog-and-a-small-boy4"
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy5_1_b58be38dda.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:22:21.951Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="634"
    alt=""
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy7_1_fa7ec5c697.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:23:59.132Z"
  />
  
</figure>
</div>

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="486"
    alt=""
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy6_58856c6082.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:04:31.460Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4>
<span style="color: #d92027"
  >Lead a happier life</span
>
</h4>

<p>
Taking that step of saying yes to Eklavya has benefited me in more ways
than one:
</p>

<p>We were able to set an example for our son.</p>

<p>
Choosing courage equipped us with the ability to empower him to do the
same.
</p>

<p>
Being courageous in the midst of fear honed our character, making us
stronger.
</p>

<p>
Embracing courage increased our sense of happiness. We have had so many
happy moments with Tintin.
</p>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="465"
    alt=""
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy8_db2239f6ae.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:06:13.477Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<p>
To sum it up, courage is the willingness to move forward, despite the
fear, worry, and anxiety that might be threatening to overwhelm us.
</p>

<p>
One of the best ways to be courageous is to face fear head-on but refuse
to allow it to paralyze you. If you let it, fear has the power to stop
you from being happy, moving forward, taking risks, or even owning a
dog! Learn to become courageous so that you can live a regret-free,
happy life and show others that it’s possible to do the same.&nbsp;
</p>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div class="block-image">
<figure>
  <img
    decoding="async"
    width="502"
    height="465"
    alt=""
    class="lazyload has-img-center"
    src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/dog_and_a_small_boy9_1a70d3de22.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T10:12:56.029Z"
  />
</figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">Art by SUKRITI VADHERA KOHLI</h4>

<hr />

Sukriti Vadhera Kohli

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