The Banyan

The Banyan The Banyan is a registered NGO in Chennai, India enabling access to health and mental health for persons living in poverty and homelessness.
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Mental illness, if left untreated, causes intense suffering and ruins lives; The Banyan reaches out to those suffering, and their families, to provide treatment and integrated options for a life beyond the illness

Dr. Archana and Shramana from our team spent three days at the Indian School of Business, Mohali, at the Centre for Soci...
19/05/2026

Dr. Archana and Shramana from our team spent three days at the Indian School of Business, Mohali, at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) Collaborative Governance Workshop alongside senior academicians, seasoned IAS officers, and practitioners, all grappling with the same questions from very different vantage points.

The workshop was part of a pan-India research programme being consolidated by CSEP, a Delhi-based think tank, with contributions from organisations across all sectors in India. It will culminate in a National Public Report on Collaborative Governance and two volumes of 25 case studies spanning diverse sectors — a body of work with the potential to shape how India thinks about collaboration with multiple stakeholders, how state-civil society partnerships inform policy at scale, and strengthen democratic institutions for years to come.

The Banyan’s case study examines collaborative governance in mental health, homelessness, and social vulnerabilities, specifically how we and our partners have worked alongside the Tamil Nadu government and the communities we serve to co-produce care and policy solutions for persons experiencing homelessness and severe mental illness, and have replicated it across the state.

The response to our work was deeply encouraging. For many in the room, the intersection of mental health and homelessness was an entirely new lens in governance conversations. Our scale-up work was described as an eye-opener, and for many, a vision of what national-level impact could look like. To know that what we have built on the ground in Tamil Nadu can speak to conversations at that scale is both humbling and motivating.

We came away with new connections and exciting possibilities, and look forward to what this collaboration will bring. ✊🏽

04/05/2026

The month of May begins by remembering the various worker movements that have shaped global workplace policies. At The Banyan, one of our core motives is to enable people to live the life they want to, according to their interests and aptitude. Independence, creativity and dedication are all qualities that we have seen among many of our service users, including Anuradha who we met many years ago. Watch on to hear her story and the life she has led alongside The Banyan!

We began 2026 the much awaited ECRC and Home Again Collaborative, along with ECRC inaugurations, workshops, lectures, vi...
27/04/2026

We began 2026 the much awaited ECRC and Home Again Collaborative, along with ECRC inaugurations, workshops, lectures, visits from our partners and more. As our network grows, so also do more people in need access bespoke mental healthcare, through empathetic and informed professionals.

Sign up for our quarterly newsletter to catch these reflections and more. Link in our bio.





“Every vote, a statement. Every voice, a right reclaimed. Our clients exercised theirs today.”Yesterday, as the state of...
24/04/2026

“Every vote, a statement. Every voice, a right reclaimed. Our clients exercised theirs today.”

Yesterday, as the state of Tamil Nadu saw millions of people exercising the most fundamental tenet of democracy, we saw something more unique among our people. A single mother and her child. Friends who have lived, worked and recovered together. Families both biological and found, making sure that they support one another, not just in the day to day, but when it is most important to show up and make a difference.

A group of first-generation voters from the tribal communities we work with, nervous at the polling stations. Someone points to an ID card and tries to find a mistake, immediately increasing the heavy anxiety that already fills their air. But there’s a small spark ignited in them; they have made it to the doorstep, why stop here? With the support from our NALAM workers, the group successfully cast their votes, happy to have contributed to the electoral process.

Across Tamil Nadu, from ECRCs, Home Agains and communities where NALAM works, our service users have been empowered to exercise their right to vote. We thank all of them and our colleagues who have been the support system that has enabled this statement. From Care to Citizenship, I exist therefore I am.

170 voices. 170 rights reclaimed.

Voting is an act of reclaiming one’s place in society. 🗳️For many individuals living with mental health issues or experi...
22/04/2026

Voting is an act of reclaiming one’s place in society. 🗳️

For many individuals living with mental health issues or experiencing homelessness, the path to the polling booth is paved with stigma and logistical hurdles. At The Banyan, we are committed to clearing that path.

From hosting awareness sessions with the District Differently Abled Welfare Office (DDAWO) to creating hands-on tools like our dummy EVM, we are ensuring our clients in Tamil Nadu are not just spectators, but active participants in India’s democracy.

A huge thank you to Mr. Saravana Kumar and our dedicated team members for making the electoral process accessible to all.

Every vision needs people who build it from the ground up. Today, we celebrate the Directors across The Banyan and BALM ...
17/04/2026

Every vision needs people who build it from the ground up. Today, we celebrate the Directors across The Banyan and BALM who serve as the operational, financial, and strategic backbone of our mission. 🏗️✨

From anchoring our regulatory and financial stewardship to designing pathways for scale and training the next generation of mental health professionals, these leaders bring decades of dedication to the hardest problems:

Operations & Finance: Ms. Swapna Krishnakumar, Mr. Ashok Kumar, Mr. Roy Defeeva, and Mr. Murugan Krishnan.
Programs & Scale-up: Ms. Vanitha Rajesh and Dr. K.S. Ramesh.
Training (BALM): Dr. Lakshmi Sankaran.

Whether they’ve been with us since the beginning or joined along the way, their leadership ensures our care remains sustainable, professional, and deeply human.

From two women on a Chennai street to a leading movement in the Global South, The Banyan has always been shaped by those...
11/04/2026

From two women on a Chennai street to a leading movement in the Global South, The Banyan has always been shaped by those who choose to stay, build, and lead.

We are thrilled to announce the next step in our journey:

Dr. Archana Padmakar & Dr. Sumana Navin: Co-CEOs of The Banyan.
Dr. Preetha Krishnadas & Dr. Lakshmi Narasimhan: Co-CEOs of BALM.
Dr. Mrinalini Ravi: CEO of the Aaladamara Foundation (a Banyan & Azim Premji Foundation initiative).

With over 60 years of combined expertise, these leaders have grown within our ecosystem, pioneering programs that redefine care, inclusion, and policy. Join us as we enter this new era of leadership, rooted in our founders’ vision and driven by a shared commitment to systems change. 🌿✨

Behind every milestone at The Banyan are leaders who bring their deepest expertise to the hardest problems.We’re proud t...
09/04/2026

Behind every milestone at The Banyan are leaders who bring their deepest expertise to the hardest problems.

We’re proud to introduce the leadership guiding our mission forward: Dr. K.V. Kishore Kumar and Mr. P.P. Sukumaran (Presidents), alongside Dr. Anbu Dorai (Executive Director, Clinical Services). From shaping national mental health policy and driving large-scale organizational transformation to volunteering on the frontlines, their diverse experiences converge on a single goal: ensuring care is both deeply human and powerfully built.

Together, they are strengthening the systems that allow us to reach more people and build a more inclusive world. We are honored to have them leading the way. 🌱✨

Written by Reji Varghese and Madhuri Menon, former dean of BALM, this article written for women’s day explores how early...
09/03/2026

Written by Reji Varghese and Madhuri Menon, former dean of BALM, this article written for women’s day explores how early gender bias shapes and often limits women’s leadership potential. For the March 8th, 2026 edition of the Deccan Herald.

On the occasion of Women’s day, The Banyan was invited by the National Health Mission (NHM) to conduct a session on stre...
07/03/2026

On the occasion of Women’s day, The Banyan was invited by the National Health Mission (NHM) to conduct a session on stress management and work–life balance for their women staff.

During the event, Dr. Arun Thamburaj, Mission Director, NHM, spoke about the initiatives being taken to support staff wellbeing, including measures such as alternate Saturdays off to help create better work–life balance.

Dr. Lakshmi Sankaran (Director - Training, BALM) and Ms. Keerthana Rajagopalan (Deputy Director - ECRC & CMHID, The Banyan) facilitated the session, where they discussed everyday experiences of stress and shared practical strategies to manage it and sustain wellbeing while navigating demanding professional roles.

“It was encouraging to hear Dr. Shyam mention that NHM is considering regular mental health sessions with The Banyan for their staff, which is a step toward strengthening psychosocial wellbeing within the workforce”, said Keerthana.

We thank Mr. Maheshkumar and Infosys Foundation for their constant support and encouragement, as we keep up our communit...
07/03/2026

We thank Mr. Maheshkumar and Infosys Foundation for their constant support and encouragement, as we keep up our community mental health initiatives through NALAM, helping people living with mental illness and affected by homelessness!

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