• Named the Min Yoon-gi Centre, the facility is expected to open in September 2025.
• The centre will house the MIND programme: Music, Interaction, Network, Diversity, using music as a tool for therapy and communication.
• Suga was personally involved in developing and piloting the music therapy sessions during his military social service period.
Just days after finishing his 21-month social service, BTS member Suga has made a historic donation of 5 billion won (£3 million) to Severance Hospital to establish a dedicated autism care centre. The new facility will focus on long-term mental health care for children with autism and aims to integrate music into clinical therapy.
How the MIND programme uses music as a communication tool
The centre will house a unique initiative called MIND, short for Music, Interaction, Network, Diversity. The idea first came up in late 2023 when Suga began working with Professor Cheon Keun-ah, a leading child psychiatrist. Together, they developed the programme to help autistic children communicate and build emotional skills through music.
From March to June 2025, Suga volunteered every weekend at the hospital, helping guide children through group music sessions. He played guitar, led rhythm exercises, and encouraged expression through melody. Doctors reported noticeable improvements in children’s behaviour, verbal response, and social interaction over the sessions.
BTS star Suga builds autism treatment centre in Korea with personal 5 billion won donationGetty Images
A personal mission for mental health advocacy
Suga’s interest in mental health support for youth has been a recurring theme throughout his career. However, this initiative marks his most hands-on contribution yet. He not only funded the centre but participated in shaping its approach and testing its impact.
“Music became a bridge that helped these kids express feelings they couldn’t in words,” he shared. “It’s been a privilege to be part of this journey, and I’ll continue supporting them in any way I can.”
BTS Suga donates nearly £3 million to launch autism centre with music-based therapy in SeoulGetty Images
The Min Yoon-gi Centre will open at Severance’s Sinchon branch in September. Beyond therapy, it will also serve as a research hub for autism-related treatments and train future specialists in music-based interventions.
With this effort, Suga sets a precedent for how artists can meaningfully contribute to mental health advocacy, bringing together art, empathy, and action.
Salman Khan recently left audiences stunned during the premiere of The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 3 when he openly discussed his health conditions. The actor revealed he is currently living with a brain aneurysm, trigeminal neuralgia, and arteriovenous (AV) malformation, three serious neurological issues that can significantly affect daily life.
Despite the gravity of these diagnoses, Salman shared that he continues to work, even filming intense action scenes. The 58-year-old star said, “We’re still breaking bones every day. Ribs gone, neuralgia, aneurysm in the brain, AV malformation, yet we’re showing up and working.”
Understanding brain aneurysm and other conditions Salman Khan is facing
A brain aneurysm forms when a weak spot in a blood vessel balloons out. Often symptomless until rupture, it can cause life-threatening brain bleeds. According to neurologists, symptoms, if they appear, might include sudden, severe headaches, blurred vision, or even seizures.
Trigeminal neuralgia, meanwhile, is a chronic nerve disorder that causes sharp, electric shock-like pain across the face, sometimes triggered by everyday activities like talking or brushing teeth. AV malformation involves an abnormal web of arteries and veins, disrupting blood flow and increasing the risk of stroke or brain damage.
Fans express concern after Salman opens up about brain aneurysm and facial nerve disorderGetty Images
Doctors caution that while these conditions can be managed with timely treatment, they’re often made worse by stress, erratic sleep, and overexertion, lifestyle factors many celebrities deal with regularly.
Why Salman Khan’s health revelation matters
Salman’s admission draws attention to hidden health issues even among the fittest individuals. Experts emphasise that early diagnosis and lifestyle awareness are crucial. High blood pressure, poor sleep, and chronic stress can all raise the risk of vascular and nerve-related disorders.
Salman Khan candidly discussed his ongoing medical issues on national televisionGetty Images
While fans hope for Salman’s speedy recovery, his situation serves as a reminder: prioritising health isn’t optional, even for superstars.
A childhood full of sounds and music
Mohini was never a regular child. Born into a musically disciplined home in Mumbai, her father a bassist, her mother a singer, Mohini’s life was all structure and sound. But not the kind most children grow up with. “I didn’t have friends my age,” she says plainly. “My dad was strict. He believed childhood was for building something, not wasting time.”
While most kids her age were at birthday parties, Mohini was at Nirvana Studio, jamming with jazz legends like Ranjit Barot and Louis Banks. “It was like going to two schools: one for academics, one for music history and reality checks,” she recalls. “I was surrounded by giants, and I learned early that to make it, I had to be exceptional.”
Mohini Dey will make her UK headline debut at London’s iconic Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club this July Instagram/dey_bass
That early push turned her into a master of her craft but also left scars. “I was depressed as hell,” she admits. “I was constantly being moulded into someone else’s dream.”
At 17, she left it all and became the family’s breadwinner
At 17, she snapped. In a moment of quiet rebellion, she left home. Cut ties. Lived alone. And decided to prove, especially to her father, that she could make it on her own. “He told me I wouldn’t be successful without him,” she remembers. “I needed to show him he was wrong.”
Those three years were lonely, but transformative. Mohini toured, hustled, and became her family’s main earner. “I learned to navigate everything. The business side, the gigs and all of it,” she says.
Bassist Mohini Dey is redefining what it means to be an Indian woman on the global music stageInstagram/dey_bass/bassplayunited
When music became medicine
The silence with her father finally broke when he called her after three years. “He said he was proud. That was enough. He didn’t apologise, but he didn’t need to.” She began taking him to her shows. In the last two years before he passed away, Mohini made sure he saw what she’d become.
“I took him to my shows. Introduced him to the life I’d built. It was healing,” she says, voice softening. “His death hit hard... but also made me push even more,” she says. “The last two years before he passed… they were good. Really wholesome. I’m glad we had that.”
Her father’s death could have derailed her. Instead, she kept playing. “I got back on stage within days. Because music took care of me when I couldn’t take care of myself.”
Mohini Dey opens up about burnout, ambition, and finding balance in a demanding industryInstagram/dey_bass
Not just the bass girl
Mohini is now one of India’s most sought-after musicians, having worked with legends like A.R. Rahman, Clinton Cerejo, Zakir Hussain, Salim–Sulaiman, and even Willow Smith, with whom she just played the Hollywood Bowl.
She’s crossed genres with ease, from Carnatic to rock, from fusion to pop. Her only rule? Never stay comfortable. “I’ll do a metal tour one week, a classical show the next,” she grins. “If it feels too easy, I’m bored.”
But don’t mistake that hustle for perfectionism. “I’m burnt out,” she says without flinching. “I’ve been working nonstop, albums, tours, even managing a side business. Sometimes I just want to disappear into a cave with my bass.”
Still, when she plays, the burnout fades. “There are these rare moments when I’m on stage, not overthinking, just being. That’s what I chase.”
Mohini Dey’s journey from a musically strict childhood in Mumbai to international acclaim is a story of rebellion, resilience, and rhythmInstagram/dey_bass
“I’m not a diversity hire. I’m just good”
Despite being a young Indian woman in an industry that rarely makes space for either, Mohini refuses to paint herself as a victim. “If anything, I used it to my advantage,” she says with a shrug. “I’m talented, I’m beautiful, I’m Indian. It made people take notice. But then I had to prove I deserved it.”
That confidence comes from lived experience. “I’ve never been treated like a diversity hire. I get called because I deliver. And because I’m versatile.” Her mentor, drummer Ranjit Barot, taught her early on: “You’re a musician first. The rest is noise.” That philosophy stuck.
From Mumbai to the world stage, Mohini plays life her own wayInstagram/dey_bass
Redefining success on her own terms
Despite the accolades, Forbes 30 Under 30, global acclaim, and sold-out venues, Mohini says awards never meant much to her. “In India, there are no awards for instrumentalists. Everything is for playback singers.”
So how does she define success? “I don’t know what it means yet,” she admits. “But contentment? That’s what I chase. Those rare moments when I play and I’m not overthinking, just flowing. That’s a win.”
Mohini Dey says music saved her when nothing else couldInstagram/dey_bass
What’s next: less travel, more life
As she readies her set for Ronnie Scott’s, including unreleased tracks and new sounds, Mohini is also thinking about slowing down. “I hate travelling,” she laughs. “By the time I’m 38, I want to be working from home, running a studio, picking only what excites me.”
She’s already laying the foundation with a social media company, side hustles and plans to support young musicians. “Music can’t feel like a grind,” she says. “It has to stay personal.”
Mohini Dey has become one of India’s most in-demand musicians across genresInstagram/dey_bass/bahrainjazzfest
Advice to dreamers: trust your gut
Asked what she’d tell her 14-year-old self, Mohini smiles. “Nothing. That kid was solid. She did what her dad told her to do. Then she did what she wanted to do. I’m proud of her.”
Her advice to young artists is blunt but inspiring: “People will try to drag you down. You’ve got to stay consistent, stay grounded, and own your story. Don’t wait for validation. Let your work speak. And if it doesn’t? Keep going until it does.”
From lonely train rides in Mumbai to sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s, from rejection and burnout to quiet moments of clarity on stage, Mohini Dey’s journey isn’t just about music, it’s about survival, rebellion, and learning to finally breathe in a life she built for herself.
And through it all, one truth remains: the bass didn’t just give her rhythm. It gave her voice.
