A Book By Vandana Kohli (Rupa Publications, 2021)
About the Book
In an era of remarkable change and uncertainty, this book focuses on hinges of emotional and mental wellness. It explores how the inner may fragment and what may help in making it whole, again.
Section I scans largely the ecosphere of ‘Normal’ in, though not limited to, the Indian context. Section II probes social and psychological triggers to emotions that cause inner strain and distress. Section III observes what within us, when processed, may shift to hinge us back again to a sense of onward flow, stable and centered.
Drawing on the author’s extensive research for films on anger, biotechnology and depression, professional and personal notes on patterns of mind over two decades, as well as inferring from India’s centuries-old tradition of the mind, this book will help readers in unravelling deeper layers within, for their own wellness and for those who surround them.
About the Author
Vandana Kohli is a filmmaker and writer with an interest in the human mind, behaviour and efficiency. Educated in film, history and commerce from the best schools of India, Vandana has won awards for excellence at each institute. She majored in film editing from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and has attended the Professional Program for Producers at UCLA, Los Angeles.
Vandana has received acclaim for her films on anger and depression. She wrote a weekly column on mind-emotion-psyche for a leading weekly magazine from 2012 until 2018. She has served twice on the Jury for the National Film awards and has been a Member, Board of Governors, at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).
Vandana loves to sing and play old Indian film songs on the piano and guitar. She is married and divides her time between Mumbai and Delhi.
Advance Praise for HINGE
“Vandana Kohli very eloquently analyzes the causality and manifestation of mental disorder in Indian society through her deep understanding of social structures that create complex emotional and psychological conflict and distress. She explains how accepted tenets of normality can often unhinge us and yet, we have it in us to get back to equilibrium with a little help from friends and our own inner voices! A wonderfully thoughtful book for everyone to reflect upon.”
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Chairperson and Managing Director of BIOCON LTD.
“Mental and emotional health is probably amongst the biggest challenges we face today and in the foreseeable future. Vandana Kohli’s Hinge addresses, simply and elegantly, the complex working of emotions, to better understand their cause and effect. The suggestions it offers are of value to make Hinge an engaging and enabling read.”
Cyrus P Mistry
Business Leader
“Vandana Kohli’s Hinge synthesizes the lessons from modern day science with approaches from Indian philosophical thought to offer small ways in which we can make big improvement in our everyday, modern lives. It provides an insightful illustration of the benefits of simplifying our lives through a focus on meaningful choices. I believe Hinge to be a very thoughtful book, and found it refreshing.”
Sheena S. Iyengar
S.T. Lee Professor of Business, Columbia Business School and Author of The Art of Choosing.
“Without mental health there can be no true physical health, especially in an era of cathartic change and uncertainty. Despite growing awareness, mental health issues are still mostly ignored or considered peripheral in India. It is reassuring to find Vandana centre-staging this subject with great sensitivity, purpose and awareness.”
Sunil Kant Munjal
Author and Founder Promoter of the Hero Group, India.
“With stress and anxiety on the rise, Vandana Kohli’s book, Hinge, is a gentle nudge towards understanding the construct of emotions and the link between the inner and the outer world. Through resonating anecdotes from ordinary lives and empirical views from renowned experts, it kindly and patiently guides to help us understand important emotions and their effect on us.”
Dr. Lobsang Sangay
President of Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamsala.
Vandana Kohli has written an important and timely book on what mental ill-health can look like, what can cause it and with thoughts around re-discovering a balance in life. Real life stories from the Indian context bring the narrative to life whilst her research references add credibility and weight. Vandana’s prose makes what might otherwise be a challenging topic engaging and relatable. Mental ill-health affects almost two billion people every year and this book will help us make sense of the causes and of the possible answers.”
Chris Parsons
Chair, India Practice, Herbert Smith Freehills and Mental Health Champion.