GIN SOAKED BOY – A POIGNANT AND RELEVANT BOOK ON MENTAL HEALTH BY SANDEEP MATHEW AND PUBLISHED BY LEADSTART.

Addressing mental health in India is a tricky issue. While many suffer from anxiety, few address in a constructive way, given the persistence stigma around the subject.

Marketer by design and author by passion, Sandeep Mathew has tackled the sensitive issue of mental-health in a light-hearted manner with his book, Gin Soaked Boy: A Tale of Love, Laughter and Depression Hidden Behind a Bottle of Alcohol.

The book was launched at Blossom’s, one of Bangalore’s oldest book stores earlier this week, where Parul Arora, HR Head for Levi’s South Asia and Sandeep’s good friend, hosted the event amidst a lot of fun with an engaged audience.

Talking about the book, Sandeep said, “This is my humble attempt to address mental health in a fun and light way. Usually the books which deal with such socially relevant issues tend to be a little serious and dark, and I thought, why not make it a fun read, so here we are”

The book, which revolves around a young and witty boy named Raj, follows his journey in life, and his struggle with his own demons. The book is written in 12 acts, each delves into one hidden symptom that could eventually lead to depression.

Sandeep also engaged the audience in Q&A, where they shared amazing feedback about the book, asked pertinent questions on mental health, and even shared personal stories of their own struggles with depression.

The book is published by Leadstart, a leading publishing house from India that features distinguished authors and writing from across the globe. The publication backed authors have been regularly shortlisted, longlisted and won major awards and recognitions from the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award, Crossword Awards, Man Asian Literary Prize, various State Literary Awards to The Padma Bhushan Award (third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India) as well.