Mangaluru: Mental health advocate and survivor Seher Hashmi, who is on a nearly 7,000 km motorcycle ride from Delhi to Kanyakumari and back, stopped in Mangaluru on Wednesday, as part of her Beyond the Horizon: A Ride for Resilience campaign.Hashmi, who began her journey from Delhi on Aug 20 on a Royal Enfield, reached Mangaluru on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, she conducted mental health awareness sessions at St Agnes College and the School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya. She left for Kasaragod later in the evening.Hashmi is scheduled to reach Kanyakumari on Sept 20, and complete the journey in Delhi on Oct 15. The ride covers 12 states and around 55 cities.She said participants at the Mangaluru sessions listened attentively, but few approached her to discuss their personal struggles. During one session, a girl spoke to her about feeling lonely after her parents’ divorce and separation. Hashmi provided her with helpline numbers and advised her to seek professional help.“I could see that there was something wrong, but if people are not speaking up, how can I forcefully help somebody? It was a major concern that people were not opening up,” Hashmi said.Hashmi, who has lived with mental illness for more than a decade, said she had undergone treatment, took psychiatric medication, underwent counselling as well as therapy. She credited the support of her parents and her willpower for helping her recover.She began advocating for mental health in 2016, following a difficult period in her life. After a suicide attempt in 2014, she said she remained confined to a room for two years.In 2016, she held her first solo art exhibition in Delhi. Her parents later encouraged her to speak publicly about mental health and her experience of being adopted. A self-taught artist, Hashmi said painting and creativity had also helped her cope with her mental health struggles.This is her second long-distance mental health advocacy ride. Last year, she travelled around 2,800 km from Delhi to Kashmir, covering 20 cities in 20 days, and conducting 32 awareness sessions. She received recognition from the International Book of World Records for that campaign.The current journey has also presented challenges. Hashmi met with an accident in Himmatnagar, Gujarat, injuring her knees and damaging her motorcycle.She is travelling with co-rider Sunny Lochav and a three-member support team comprising driver Rakesh, coordinator Farhat Khan, and Amit, who handles logistics and accounts.Hashmi said that she hoped the campaign will encourage people to stop judging those living with mental illness and seek help when necessary. She also called for mental health professionals to be made available in villages, towns and cities, and for treatment to be financially accessible.“Whatever help is available is either very expensive or not available in small rural places,” she said.
