Rajdeep Dutta (he/him), a 31-year-old guy, belongs to a lower socio-economic background from a small town known as the ‘Tea City of India’, which directly or indirectly has helped me connect to nature when I do not feel like myself in my own skin…I love to stay by myself, but out of nowhere, I do crave people on a Friday night when I see my socially outgoing friends posting pictures with their friends on Instagram…Cooking, singing (no matter how pathetic I sing), and talking & sharing how my day went with my mom over a cup of tea are the bestest moments of my life…we have our ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ session every morning and evening, and if you ask when this tradition started, I won't be able to recall much, but I could tell that it started when I did not liked tea much…

I always love to make people feel included and hold some space for them, no matter who they are…For me, there’s always some space in our lives to make people feel included. And this concept of inclusivity I inculcated from my own life experiences. ‘It never feels good, no matter how much you enjoy your own company, when people in a particular place/event make you feel you do not belong to them”. Also, me being a clinical psychologist and doing my doctoral research on trauma psychology aligns so much with my sense of self; it feels great when I see that through my research, I am able to provide space for the people who really need it.

‘The world has really limited safe spaces’, and me trying to provide one makes me feel the happiest, especially when my research participants thank me at the end of every session for holding a space for them, when they can be anything without the fear of being judged.

My mother has been a constant role model in my life, teaching me kindness and forgiveness, and the art of not giving up. Although I have learnt a lot from her life, a few things I am willing to avoid learning are the concept of ‘only giving’; even the giver should know when to stop giving, or else people will start taking us for granted.

Being an oversensitive person, I mostly avoid conflicts and a rude nature, but yeah, if the situation demands it, then I don’t miss that opportunity…For me, vulnerability is not weakness; it’s a way of showing that you might need some assistance, as your self has been in ‘survival mode’ for long enough.

A Hindi song that I resonate with the most is “sapney re, sapney re, sapney mere sach, hojana re, hojana re, hojana re…”

Lastly, I would like to describe how I cope with my own life struggles…I cook a lot, I drink masala tea when stressed, talk to my very close ones, and I go through my old photographs and achievements when I end up questioning my own self-worth