An evening where we bonded with Lavani Lavani – the name conjures up so many earthy feelings from the land of the Peshwas – the nauvari saree, the traditional gajra on the hair bun, the kamarpatta, the “chan chan” of the ghungroos, the fast rhythm of the dholak and of course the quintessential, mesmerising dance […]
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A unique HCI meet on Managing Finances and avoiding Stress The Hugging Club of India’s (HCI) meeting on 18th August 2019 in Mumbai, Bandra (W), showcased an altogether new topic – The subject of MONEY or ‘How to manage your finances and get out of debt and related mental stress’. It has my third meet up
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A Failure is not the End of Life HCI conducted an offline session on August 6, 2023 at Cold Lava Studio, Mulund (E), Mumbai. It was led by Sulabha Subramaniam, a practising Mental Health Professional since more than 23 years. All of us are faced by failures in life at one time or the other,
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7th Anniversary of HCI with Prince Manavendra Gohilji The 7th anniversary of HCI celebrated at Amaha at Bandra, Mumbai on 2nd October, 2024, was a big hit! It saw a large turnout of members from all walks of life, many having travelled from out of town to grace the momentous occasion. Here’s an account of
“I am diagnosed as having bi-polar depression or manic depressive” The lively, interactive group at the first ever meet of the Hugging Club of India I am diagnosed as having bi-polar depression or manic depressive. When I heard about the formation of a Hugging Club to help people like me, I was extremely happy. Especially
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?My mom is schizophrenic. And dad bipolar. I was ashamed and embarrassed of my parents for almost 20 years. I used to compare them with other parents and feel sad and angry in the same breath. Oh! God! Why Me! My mom used to prepare food and serve it to my dead aunt, who according to
Report: Dr. Nivedita on Healing the Mind Through Self-Reflection and Compassion Introduction Dr. Nivedita, a counsellor, art-based therapist, and scholar with a PhD in Social Work and a Master’s in Nalanda Buddhist philosophy, was invited by HCI (Hugging Club Initiative) to speak on mental health. Known for her humility, compassion, and practical wisdom, she emphasizes
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The Other Prescription: A Story of Mental Health, Failure, and Finding a Way Back By Hugging Club of India (Based on a session with Prasoon Prakash) In a world that constantly tells us to push harder, climb faster, and never show weakness, the bravest act is often not success—but survival. And sometimes, survival means putting
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Self love on HCI’s 2nd anniversary On the 2nd anniversary of HCI, Umang invited Dr. Harish Shetty for an interactive session, and the good doc was quite a revelation. As soon as he began his topic of Self Love, we realised he is a unique doctor, one of his kind. He made us laugh (he
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Breaking the Stigma, Reclaiming Life: A Journey from Chem Sex Addiction to Recovery A Session by the Hugging Club of India (HCI) – July 20, 2025 Overall Summary This document is a transcript of an online support session hosted by the **Hugging Club of India (HCI)** on July 20, 2025. The session focused on breaking
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