Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Friday, 6 November 2026, stepped behind a makeshift stall at the Sector 21 main market in Gandhinagar to personally sell 35,000 diyas handcrafted by patients recovering from mental illness at Ahmedabad's Mental Health Hospital. The initiative raised approximately ₹1.90 lakh, channelling proceeds directly toward the financial rehabilitation of the patients who made them.

The Initiative and Its Purpose

The diya sale is part of a broader livelihood drive aimed at helping people recovering from mental illness achieve financial independence, build confidence, and reintegrate into society. The earthen lamps were produced through vocational training programmes at the Mental Health Hospital, Ahmedabad, which runs courses in screen printing, weaving, stitching, file-making, rakhi-making, incense-stick production, and the manufacture of wooden articles.

The initiative is linked to the state government's resolve for a 'Nasha Mukt Gujarat, Swasth Yuva, Sashakt Parivaar' (Drug-Free Gujarat, Healthy Youth, Empowered Families) mission — a framework that positions mental wellness and economic self-reliance as interconnected goals.

Sanghavi's Role at the Market

Sanghavi did not merely inaugurate the stall — he interacted with customers, encouraged them to buy the diyas, and personally facilitated transactions. By taking on the role of a shopkeeper, he sought to highlight the skills of the patients and generate broader public participation in supporting their livelihoods. He arrived at the market in one of the newly inaugurated GSRTC buses, adding a symbolic note to his public engagement.

The event drew Minister of State for Transport Pravin Mali, Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Rupsinh Thakor, MLAs Alpesh Thakor and Rita Patel, District Panchayat President Anil Patel, and other public representatives and citizens.

A Day After Visiting the Hospital

The Gandhinagar market event came a day after Sanghavi visited the Government Mental Hospital in Ahmedabad on Thursday, where he interacted with patients, purchased diyas handcrafted by them ahead of Diwali, and lit the lamps alongside them. 'The love and hard work with which you have prepared these lamps while staying in the hospital make them more than just earthen lamps; they are a symbol of your happiness and self-reliance,' Sanghavi said during the visit.

Rehabilitation Through Occupational Therapy

Vocational activities form a central pillar of the hospital's occupational therapy programme, which has historically included tailoring, weaving, carpentry, file-making, and agarbatti production. Such structured work routines help patients develop practical skills, rebuild routine, and create pathways to financial independence — widely recognised in mental healthcare as critical to long-term recovery. This Diwali initiative represents one of the most visible public-facing extensions of that programme.

With Diwali approaching, the sale demonstrates how traditional festive demand can be harnessed to create dignified economic opportunities for some of the most marginalised individuals in the healthcare system.