Compos Mentis launches as India's first community-funded mental health programme for musicians

Interbeing and Sangath have launched Compos Mentis, a mental health programme for Indian musicians, with applications open until June 25, 2026.

The initiative offers 15 musicians five fully funded one-on-one therapy sessions each, matched with clinicians who understand the specific circumstances of creative careers in India, including financial instability, irregular hours, and nightlife culture.

The funding has an interesting origin. Between late 2024 and 2026, Interbeing ran Big Sound Lie Around, an ambient listening series at Vaayu Kula, Mandrem, Goa.

Artists including Sunju Hargun, Chhabb, Dualist Inquiry, Kiss Nuka, Fursat.fm, Kohra, Monophonik, Andy Garvey, Zokhuma, Avril and Majestic 88 performed without fees, with audiences contributing on a pay-what-you-can basis.

The programme was built around a straightforward observation: that the music industry makes it hard to ask for help.

Prakriti Abel, Founder of Interbeing, shares with Mixmag Asia: "A career in music is something you choose because you love it, and that has a peculiar way of making the struggles that come along with it invisible. We didn't want to build something that asked musicians to step outside their world to access care. We wanted to bring care into it."

She continues: "To make sure we do that, Sangath has spent time screening clinicians and context-setting with them, so they understand the unique challenges a full-time musician in India might face.

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On what clinician matching actually looks like in practice, she adds: "'Clinicians who understand nightlife' means you can talk to someone who doesn't think your workday finishing at 4AM puts you at a disadvantage, or someone who understands that your identity and your output are deeply entangled in a way that a conventional career simply doesn't produce. You don't have to spend half your session explaining your life. You can go deeper."

Selection is based on urgency of need and access to existing support, not artistic profile or career achievements.

Sessions are available online or in-person, in English and Hindi, with additional languages matched on request.

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Alongside the launch, Interbeing is releasing Lie Around Archive on SoundCloud; a collection of live recordings from each edition of Big Sound Lie Around.

The first is a set by Sunju Hargun and Chhabb, recorded at the inaugural edition in January 2025, with subsequent releases to follow monthly through December 2026.

Applications for Compos Mentis are open until June 25; for musicians based in India, apply here.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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