The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF), a not-for-profit organization working towards mental health awareness in India has announced the appointment of Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson & Managing Director of Biocon, as a trustee on the board of the foundation.

Welcoming Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw to the board, Deepika Padukone, TLLLF Founder said, “Mental health is an area that requires sustained effort and multi-stakeholder engagement. Kiran’s experience with large, focused organizations that deliver sustained and impactful outcomes across stakeholder groups will be extremely beneficial as the scale of TLLLF’s activities continues to grow year on year. Kiran has been a staunch supporter of TLLLF even before the foundation was formally launched in 2015 and we are thrilled to have her now join the board."

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said, “I am indeed very proud and happy to be a part of The Live Love Laugh Foundation, which is doing a stellar job of spreading mental health awareness in India with a focus on depression. As a member of the TLLLF Board, I intend to help with greater government engagement in order to shape policy around mental health in India. I also believe that greater community based programs that focus on treatment interventions for psychiatric disorders will hopefully help to remove the associated stigma. One in five people in India will suffer from depression in their lifetime, so we must endeavour to improve the lives of these suffering millions.”

Anna Chandy, Chair - Board of Trustees, TLLLF, said, “I am delighted that Kiran has agreed to offer her time and her expertise to TLLLF. I look forward to working with her as we scale our activities and engagements in the years to come”.

TLLLF was founded in October 2015 by actor Deepika Padukone and has since then undertaken three flagship initiatives: 1) ‘You Are Not Alone’: An awareness programme on depression, for adolescent school children and teachers, that has been conducted in six states covering more than 34,000 students and 6,480 teachers across 276 urban and rural schools; 2) ‘Together Against Depression’: A programme to sensitize doctors on mental health, that has covered more than 2,000 doctors; and 3) Dobara Poocho: India’s first nationwide public awareness campaign on mental health.