A support system to help them flourish

One Saturday night, Nisha Kiran shared her personal journey through depression and how she survived it on ‘Her Trivandrum’, a social media community.
Anjali Manoj (File Photo |EPS)
Anjali Manoj (File Photo |EPS)

KOCHI: One Saturday night, Nisha Kiran shared her personal journey through depression and how she survived it on ‘Her Trivandrum’, a social media community. Little did she know that she would be overwhelmed with support from all quarters. She was flooded with messages and enquiring her well-being. 

“I was going through a pretty bad phase and during those times this community really helped me. One can ask for help and receive support. I thought of sharing my experience hoping that there could be others who might be going through the same phase,” says Nisha. The absence of women-oriented communities attracted Nisha to the group. 

For many like her, the close-knit women community ‘Her Trivandrum’, a one-year-old social media group, is the support system that helps them flourish, a camaraderie that transcends border and digital space. Started by Anjali Manoj,  a former broadcast journalist who is now in Thiruvananthapuram, the women-only group was started as a non-judgmental safe space where women can freely express their thoughts, problems, talents and also connect to each other. “One of the aspects I was particular about was maintaining the anonymity of the person. So if one doesn’t want to reveal her identity, privacy is safeguarded,” says Anjali. Entrepreneurs can share their products, post queries, share their creative pursuits and tales of survival. 

Despite the name the group sports, it has members from across the globe, with no barriers to nationality. “It was first started as a group for women from Thiruvananthapuram. But soon I started getting requests from various parts of the world seeking inclusion. And now, there are no barriers to nationality,” says Anjali. 

The 4,700-member strong women community is now richer with women from all walks of lives.  “People have been sharing not just their work and talents, but also about how they survived through harsh times. There have been discussions about difficult deliveries, abuse, depressions, and parenting, among others,” she says. Anjali says that the digital connect is also evolving to offline connections, where women look out for each other. “As a unit, women can be stronger and help each other out,”she says.

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