Jagesh Panchal from Shakti mental health Melbourne: Shapes and Sounds Interview #6

Last winter, I found myself working in an unheated basement on King Street. It was definitely one of those experiences that makes you question all the life choices that you’ve ever made. However, one good thing in all of this was that my desk buddy was Jagesh, a quietly confident individual who ran (and still runs) Shakti mental health Melbourne.

Shakti mental health Melbourne is a platform that connects and supports the South Asian Australian diaspora community in navigating their mental health amongst cultural expectations. Jagesh also uses his platform to talk about men’s mental health in the South Asian Australian community which is undeniably such an important and complex conversation. Plus, it’s youth focused so the platform supports those in a period of great change and growth.

It’s important to acknowledge here that although Shapes and Sounds has aimed to talk about “Asian Australian” mental health, Asia is a very vast continent and I have focused heavily on what I know; on the experiences of East Asian Australians. I acknowledge that as diaspora, the East Asian and South Asian narratives have many similarities, yet it would be simplistic to say that our cultures, histories and stories are all the same. I thank Jagesh for teaching me about the South Asian diaspora experience and I am very committed to representing a true “Asia Australia” that exceeds just my own Japanese Australian experience. I’m now in a place where I can invite and publish other people’s stories on this platform so please email me if you would like to submit a pitch or story.

I’m very lucky to be able to share Jagesh’s interview with you this month. Make sure you follow the links at the end of the article to connect with Shakti mental health Melbourne online!

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1. Could you please tell us your name, age and what it is that you do?

My name’s Jagesh Panchal, I'm 27 years old and I run a platform that discusses mental health within the South Asian Australian diaspora. I founded Shakti mental health Melbourne in 2018 after having my own ups and downs of depression, self consciousness and anxiety. I realised that in Australia, mental health within South Asian communities isn't really discussed. By sharing perspectives, advice and discussion we aim to change stigma.

2. What do you do to take care of your mental health and wellbeing?

I hadn't really prioritised my self care until quite recently because I didn't think about it much, but its definitely needed. Music has always been a big part of my life and supported me through some tough times in the past. I'll listen to different genres depending on my mood; classic Hindi songs and hip hop/rnb have always been a go to. Basketball has also been something I can always fall back onto ('ball is life'). It allows me to kind of just be with my thoughts, it gets me outside and nothing else really matters in that short burst. I live with close housemates at the moment as well; I enjoy being around people that I'm close to and we cook together pretty regularly which has definitely supported my well-being.

3. Can you think of one example that demonstrates how growing up Asian in Australia has impacted you?

I absolutely love being from an Indian-Australian background but there's definitely been challenges. I used to feel bad when I couldn't always speak Gujrati fluently to family friends or to the older generation, and it showed cause I'd either get laughed at, embarrassed parents and/or end up mixing English words into the conversation.

I remember one time in high school; it was the first day of year 9 and none of my six new teachers could pronounce my name properly. They all butchered it.. By the time period 6 came around I got into a argument with the new teacher because she also messed it up bad and I ended up getting kicked out of class.

Language is only one part though, there's so much tradition, food, colour and culture that i'm proud to be a part of, which is how I connect to my roots. I enjoy festivals like Navratri; the fact that our weddings go for multiple days because there's significance in each event and being embedded into whats around me is something that i'll always carry with me.

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Connect with Shakti Mental Health Melbourne online via:
Instagram: @shaktimhmelbourne
Facebook: /shaktimelbourne