The Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL), a youth-led non-profit organisation with special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), recently hosted an event to promote the concept of “positive masculinity” and raise awareness on the importance of men’s mental health.
The event, coinciding with International Men’s Day, chose the theme “Supporting Positive Masculinity and Mental Health of Men and Boys Through Art.”
Around 55 young men who gathered at Swami Vivekananda Rural Community College were encouraged to reflect on aspects such as the need for a safe inclusive space for men to express emotions or ponder over why suicides rates of men were generally higher than women in India?
According to TYCL, the Union Territory of Puducherry recorded the fourth-highest suicide rate in India in 2023, reporting 465 cases (NCRB 2023). National and regional patterns indicate more than 70% of these deaths are among men — a stark reminder of the silent mental health crisis that claims the lives of sons, fathers, brothers, and young boys whose inner struggles remain largely invisible. In spite of this grim backdrop, men’s mental health continues to be muted under layers of stigma and societal expectations that discourage men from expressing emotional vulnerability or seeking help.
A unique ‘Mirror of Emotions’ exercise gave the participants the space to pause, observe, and introspect. Some of them opened up about the pressure they felt as men to shoulder family responsibility and remain strong always. Some felt relationship issues, family problems, drug abuse and financial woes faced by men were the reasons behind high suicide rates among men.
M. Raja, psychologist and founder, Pondicherry Psychological Association, spoke about emotional intelligence.
C.T. Meenakshi Sundaram of TYCL said suppression of emotions was linked to high suicide rate among men. G. Gobi, founder-director, Yaazh Theatre and Research Foundation led the participants through art-based experiential sessions and helped them transform unspoken pain into shared understanding and hope.
Venkateshwaran, teacher, Swamy Vivekananda Rural Community College, distributed the certificates.
A public opinion video on mental health filmed in Puducherry and Bahour was also screened at the event which was coordinated by TYCL volunteers Vanitha and C. Jeevakshayan.
Published – November 25, 2025 08:19 pm IST
