Depression has affected nearly 5-8 percent of the Indian population aged 18 and above. As many as one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents have clinical depression.

It is among the most treatable of psychiatric illnesses with between 80 to 90 percent of people responding positively to treatment, and almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms. Yet, the number of people suffering from depression are constantly increasing. The main reason that it prevails is that it is not talked about enough in the open.

To bridge this gap of awareness, BIT Mesra’s tech fest, Pantheon came up with surprising ideas this year. To change the perception of people regarding depression and to curb the bloated stereotypes that people associate it with, Pantheon undertook ‘Fighting Depression’ as its Social Cause. The pompous show of sadness that this generation of ours displays does help in gaining popularity but has a detrimental effect in the long run. For the older generation, however, there seems to be a taboo associated with it and it is considered something horrendous and horrific.

Pantheon advocated talking about depression freely and without shame through art forms like mime and ‘nukkad’. Through its online event ‘Melancholy Musings’, Pantheon tried to retrieve the true power of humanity and compassion.

With a vision to be recognized as a world-class learning institution, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra has moved beyond the realms of the fulfillment of a scholastic promise to redefine education. With an ambition to provide a platform for the youth to showcase their technical skills and display cutting-edge technologies, BIT conducts one of the biggest technical fests of Eastern India – Pantheon.

The previous edition of Pantheon dove deeper into the convoluted world of machines through its intriguing theme, ‘Unleash the Digital Immortality’. Cognoscenti and connoisseurs of technology gathered together with their thinking caps on from 13th to 15th of October, 2017.

Pantheon stood for the promotion of understanding ‘Thalassemia’, the genetic blood disorder that has grasped umpteen people worldwide. The disorder causes the Red Blood Cells to produce lesser amounts of haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen throughout the body. As of 2013, Thalassemia occurs in about 280 million people, with about 439,000 having severe disease. The average prevalence of Thalassemia carriers is 3–4% which translates to 35 to 45 million carriers in our multiethnic and culturally and linguistically diverse population of 1.21 billion people (according to the Census of India 2011).

The National Health Portal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India now provides information on Thalassemia for the public and professionals. Yet, there is no formal education on thalassemia in the curriculum for high school children. Intense education on Thalassemia from the coupled with education of health professionals would be effective in its appropriate understanding.

Thalassemia is a treatable disorder but can be hard on one’s pocket. Now more than ever, it is critical to promote its understanding and we need to ensure that the patients’ are getting the appropriate care and attention, no matter where in the world they are. Through its various events and ventures which included Blood Donation Camp, Pantheon aimed at creating awareness regarding its corrigible and amenable nature.

Pantheon has always strived to instill a sense of awareness for the modern marvels mankind has discovered during the course of time. On that note, the much awaited technical extravaganza is waiting to be unfurled, bigger and better than it has ever been as Pantheon makes its triumphant return. During the period of 5th to 7th October 2018, Ranchi will witness a technological utopia, one that will be by the youth and for the youth.