House of Hibiscus
Adaiyalam 2026
Chennai's Mental Health Fest | 5 July, 2026 | 10 AM - 6PM
Theme: The Illusion of Normality
You're in. Here's everything you need to know before you arrive.
Adaiyalam means identity — a symbol, a mark. This year, we're asking who gets to decide what's "normal," and what it costs us to live inside that illusion. Expect honest conversations, a youth summit, a candid look at therapist finances, and space to simply breathe.
Agenda
Lilavati Hall
Opening Ceremony & Networking – 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mental Health Youth Summit – 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Therapist Finance Workshop – 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Music Therapy Workshop – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Closing Ceremony – 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Exhibition Hall 1
Theatre Workshop – 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Trauma Healing Workshop – 12:45 PM - 1:45 PM
Geriatric Mental Health – 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM
Therapist Safety – 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Exhibition Hall 2
Mental Health Stalls – 10 AM - 6 PM
Lunch Hall (D Block)
Coffee & Puzzzles – 3 PM - 5 PM
Participants Guidelines
To help ensure a safe and welcoming space for everyone, please review the participants guidelines attached here.
Full timings and hall-wise breakdown is displayed outside each hall.
Dr. Vanitha Rajesh
Chief Guest
With over 23 years at The Banyan, Dr. Vanitha has built her work around community-based care and culturally rooted healing — currently pursuing her PhD on "stuckness" and recovery, and, outside the clinic, a trained Bharatanatyam dancer who finds in art another language for the same work.
Pooja Srinivasa Raja
Guest of Honour
Founder and CEO of The Love Hope Company, Pooja has built one of Chennai's most recognisable mental wellness spaces — making therapy and mental health conversations more relatable, accessible, and unfiltered for everyone who walks through the door.