During his illness Saagar would often mention his ‘random thoughts’. They obviously troubled him a lot but when I asked him to elaborate, he wouldn’t. Or couldn’t. He either kept silent or gave me vague non-specific answers. In other words, random. He couldn’t find the words and I couldn’t help him.

CALM( Campaign Against Living Miserably) is helping men find words to redefine themselves on their own terms and break the old traditional models. They aim to keep men alive by talking. And they are having fun while doing this monumental task through ‘mandictionary’.

This massive bill-board caught my eye today –

Mandown: One of the thirteen men who take their life everyday in this country.

Propamanda: A catalogue of stereotypes aimed at making you a manly man, a proper bloke or a top lad.

Instaman: The fantasy photographic life you create online with all the real bits edited out.

Camanflage: The happy front men wear in certain social situations.

Manuary: The arbitrary month of the year within which everything will get better despite the lethargy, chill and lack of cash.

Menshun: A change in subject when a bloke says how he feels.

Manbaggage: The small child or puppy owned by a friend, used by a bachelor to heighten ‘cute levels’ in parks.

Adamant: To stubbornly and unhelpfully insist that you don’t need to talk about it.

These imaginative and fun posters convey an important message. They not only give us permission but also empower us to normalise the human condition. The more we talk about it, the more ‘normal’ it becomes. This reminds me of the 80s when AIDS was a taboo (and still sadly is) and songs like ‘Let’s talk about sex baby’ came about.

Let’s help each other find words and talk.