Actor Darasing Khurana has kicked off his Commonwealth Year of Youth Champion role with a focus on mental health initiatives, following a meeting with Queen Camilla and discussions with Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland in London.
The 32-year-old artist founded the Pause.Breathe.Talk Foundation in the wake of the tragic death of his friend, fellow actor Sushant Singh Rajput, hopes to use the many learnings and insights from its focus on making therapy affordable and accessible to young people.
Khurana has been in London since Commonwealth Day on March 11, when he shared his plans with the Queen, who was representing husband King Charles as the Head of the Commonwealth as the monarch undergoes treatment for cancer.
“I shared my plans around youth mental health and wellbeing with Her Majesty and she was really supportive, so I'm even more pumped now to get on with the work,” shared Khurana, whose intricate fusion sherwani by designers Shantanu & Nikhil was admired by the Queen.
“I explained how we want to work towards a better balance with technology in the life of young people by implementing a Commonwealth-wide programme. She agreed it was absolutely the need of the hour and encouraged me to focus on this,” he said
Khurana has helped children as young as eight access heavily discounted counselling through his foundation set up in memory of Rajput, who is believed to have been suffering from depression before his sudden death aged 34 in June 2020.
“It hit me really hard and I had to do something in his memory. Through my foundation, I observe young people suffering and that is the reason I feel I can be the voice, and bring this change in the Commonwealth countries. I just want to make sure that we do not take this mental health crisis ahead for the generations to come and we end it here,” he said.
Based on research conducted by his foundation, Khurana has pinpointed a drastic drop in patience levels among the younger generation and a corresponding spike in their anxiety levels. The primary reason for this is believed to be the overuse of electronics and social media. Through his work with Dr Rekha Chaudhri, founder of World Digital Detox Day, his focus is on encouraging a lifestyle change that would help young people better harmonise with technology.
“We have come up with a roadmap already which can be merged with the education system in all the Commonwealth countries so that students are taught right from the beginning in their schools on how to maintain a balance with technology in their life,” he said.
While mental health will be among his top priorities, Khurana also has plans to help organise an interfaith event with the University of Cambridge in an effort to promote greater interfaith understanding. A short film competition and sustainable fashion, inspired by his modelling and acting career, are among some of the other ideas he wants to bring to fruition.
“We really need to get to the deeper meaning of religion. We need to bring all the religious leaders from across the globe together and make sure the right message is sent across, that all the religions are together. This is another subject very, very close to my heart,” he said.
On the work front, he has an as-yet-untitled Marathi film coming up, something the Maharashtrian actor is very excited about. But, meanwhile, he is keen to pack in as much as he can into his year-long Commonwealth role and help amplify the voice of young people from across the 56 member countries.
As a Commonwealth Year of Youth Champion, Khurana is in exalted company with Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and brother of King Charles III, who took on the role to promote and raise the profile of issues facing young people in the Commonwealth.
At the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in London last year, it was decided to extend the Year of Youth at least until the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will be held in Apia, Samoa, later this year.
