About International Men’s Day
International Men's Day is observed on 19 November, which in 2026 falls on Thursday, 19 November 2026. It was started in 1999 by Jerome Teelucksingh, a history lecturer in Trinidad and Tobago, and is built around six stated aims, including men's health, positive role models and better relations between men and women. It is not a United Nations day. In India it was first marked in 2007 and is now common in offices, colleges and hospitals.
International Men's Day gets treated in two very different ways in India. In one version it is a health day, with free check-ups and a talk on stress. In the other it is an argument, posted as a reply to March. The day as designed is the first kind.
Why is International Men's Day on 19 November?
The date was chosen by one man for two personal reasons. Jerome Teelucksingh, a history lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, restarted the observance in 1999 and picked 19 November because it was his father's birthday, and because on 19 November 1989 the Trinidad and Tobago football team's World Cup qualifying run had pulled a divided country together for a day.
That is the whole origin. There is no United Nations resolution behind International Men's Day, which is the single most common misunderstanding about it. The day is coordinated by voluntary organisers and is now marked in more than 80 countries.
In India the day arrived in 2007, when the Save Indian Family Foundation observed it on 19 November for the first time, led by Uma Challa. It has since spread well beyond men's-rights groups to hospitals, colleges and company wellness teams.
What are the six pillars of International Men's Day?
The organisers list six aims for the day. Most Indian events pick one or two of them rather than all six.
| Pillar | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Positive male role models | Not only sportsmen and film stars, but the ordinary men who raise children, care for parents and do their work honestly |
| Men's contribution | To family, community, marriage, child care and the environment |
| Men's health and wellbeing | Screening for blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, prostate and testicular cancer, plus mental health |
| Discrimination against men and boys | Areas where men and boys face worse outcomes, such as workplace deaths, custody, or being assumed guilty |
| Gender relations | Improving how men and women deal with each other, at home and at work |
| A safer, better world | Reducing violence, including violence by men against other men |
Why is men's health the main theme in India?
Because the numbers are hard to argue with. The National Crime Records Bureau's Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India report for 2022 recorded 1,70,924 suicides, and the male to female split among victims was 71.8 to 28.2. Men account for roughly seven in ten suicide deaths in India, and men are also far less likely to seek help early.
The practical thing to do on 19 November is not a poster. It is a phone number and an appointment. Tele-MANAS, the government's free mental health helpline, runs on 14416 in multiple languages and had crossed ten lakh calls within about two years of its October 2022 launch. A basic annual check with blood pressure, blood sugar, lipids and weight costs little and is the single most useful gift you can push a middle-aged man in your family to accept.
How to mark International Men's Day at work or at home
- Book the check-upOffice health camps are easy to arrange on this date. Blood pressure, sugar, lipid profile, and a conversation about sleep and alcohol.
- Give the day to fathers and carersInvite men in the team who took paternity leave or who care for ageing parents to talk about how it actually went.
- Talk about work deathsIndia's construction, mining and transport workers are overwhelmingly male. Safety training on this day is more useful than a cake.
- Make one callRing the friend who went quiet after a job loss, a divorce or a bereavement. Men's networks thin out fast after thirty.
What to write on International Men's Day
Keep it ordinary and specific. Men in Indian families are rarely thanked directly, so a plain sentence lands harder than you expect.
Happy Men's Day, Papa. You drove me to class at 6 am for two years and never once made it sound like a favour. I noticed. I still notice.
Happy Men's Day. You do the school run, the bank work and the arguing with the plumber, and you never keep score. Thank you.
Happy Men's Day. You picked up the phone the night everything went wrong and you did not say one clever thing, which was exactly right.
Happy Men's Day. Being kind is not the soft option, it is the harder one, and you keep choosing it. Proud of you.
Happy Men's Day. You covered my work for a week without being asked and never mentioned it once. Lunch is on me.
Happy Men's Day, but really: how are you, actually? Free this weekend if you want to sit somewhere and say nothing.
Happy Men's Day. You made room for me in this family without any fuss, and that is not a small thing.
Today we are keeping it simple: free health checks in the meeting room until 4 pm, and no one has to explain why they are going.
Do
- Name something he did. Men get praised for qualities and rarely for actions.
- Use the day to push a check-up, especially for fathers over 45 who have not seen a doctor in years.
- If you run a team, say out loud that taking paternity leave will not cost anyone a promotion.
Avoid
- Don't write the message as a comeback to International Women's Day. The day's own organisers list better relations between men and women as one of its aims.
- Don't praise a man only for providing money. Fathers who show up, cook, listen and care for elders deserve the same line.
- Don't tell a man who is struggling to be strong. That is the sentence that keeps men out of clinics.
Other days that pair with it: World Mental Health Day on 10 October, World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, and International Day of Families on 15 May.
How to wish someone on International Men’s Day
A Men's Day message reads best when it is warm and unshowy, and when it does not turn into a complaint about Women's Day. Thank a father, brother, husband or colleague for something specific he did. If the man in your life is carrying a lot quietly, the strongest message on this day is an offer to listen, not a compliment about being strong.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is International Men’s Day in 2026 and 2027?
International Men’s Day is on 19 Nov every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
Who started International Men's Day and when?
International Men's Day in its present form was started in 1999 by Jerome Teelucksingh, a history lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. He chose 19 November because it was his father's birthday and because of a day in 1989 when the national football team united the country.
Is International Men's Day recognised by the United Nations?
No. International Men's Day has no United Nations resolution behind it, unlike International Women's Day, which the UN has marked since 1975. It is run by voluntary organisers and is now observed in more than 80 countries, including India.
When was International Men's Day first observed in India?
India first marked International Men's Day on 19 November 2007, when the Save Indian Family Foundation observed it, an effort led by Uma Challa. It has since been taken up more widely by hospitals, colleges and workplace wellness programmes.
What is the point of International Men's Day?
Its organisers list six aims: positive male role models, men's contribution to family and community, men's physical and mental health, discrimination faced by men and boys, better relations between men and women, and a safer world. In India, health is the aim most events focus on.
What should I write in a Men's Day message?
Write one specific thing the man did rather than a compliment about strength. For a father it might be the years of early-morning drop-offs; for a colleague, the week he covered your work. If he is going through something hard, the best message is a direct question and an offer to meet.
Why do men's health campaigns focus on this day in India?
Because men account for about seven in ten suicide deaths recorded in India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau's 2022 report, and because men tend to delay routine screening for blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Free check-up camps and mental health sessions are the most common Indian observance.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .