Like the Tree from which it gets its name, this is a place which provides the shelter for the needy. This is an organisation which has changed my perspective towards life, love, happiness and actually everything that makes me who I am today. The Banyan is a NGO which takes care of mentally ill, destitute women by taking care of them, rehabilitating them and helping them in all ways to lead a normal and satisfying life.

I thought I’d just let you guys into the story about how I got involved in this wonderful organisation to show you how chance encounters can change lives. After my school in when I did not get into any medical college I had decided go into the accounting profession (that’s another story). Towards that end, I had started working as an Article Clerk in my dad’s friend’s Chartered Accountancy Firm. Around 6 months into my work I had come across the name The Banyan and my colleagues were auditing the accounts of this organisation. I was not directly involved but going through them I could understand that they were some kind of NGO, yet did not have any idea about the actual work that was being done. After the first year I had been elevated to the next level and I was handling the accounts of bigger companies and was handling them alone, and got to audit the accounts of The Banyan. Auditors as breed have perpetual doubts and constantly need clarifications and discussions with their Clinets; I confess I am no different. So, to banish away all my doubts, one day Vaishi (Vaishanvi) and Ashok landed up in my office with loads of papers to have the discussion with me. We finished the discussion but I still had no idea about what exactly they do in the organisation. In the evening after the meeting was over Vaishi and Ashok asked me just drop into their place so that I would get a better idea.

I went to their place the same evening, and was stunned! To be honest what ever I have seen of NGO’s before was expecting a huge campus with lots of space, lots of trees and lots of people. What I saw was completely the opposite. The first place I went was their office which was basically a 2 bedroom house on the ground floor. If I remember I met, Anu, Masylene, Ashok, then Vaishi and Vandana. I was seated at the reception when Anu started explaining me about what they do, how they do. I was skeptical (not sure whether I can use that word) but was not very clear whether I had really understood what they were doing. But then Anu said that I need to see the people who they were helping and it was another house (a house which people would normally think is fit enough only for a family of 3 or 4). When I entered the house I was received by a wide range of emotions on the faces of the inmates, most of them were smiling having seen a new face in their house, some were scared (understandable) and some mixed. I have never before seen so many people under one roof but the most important thing was all of them were happy and satisfied. I got talking to some of them and I could get what they have gone through and with the help of the social workers (my heroes really) I really understood what was happening (I’m man enough to admit that I did let some tears out, but my wife tells me that I’m a cry baby anyway). Once I was out of Adaikalam and back to the office I was introduced to the office staffs who take care of various departments like social work, fund raising, accounts, administration etc. All of them were sitting in the tiny place (to be honest my cubicle now is as big as the room they were operating from). There were computers, printers, papers, cupboards and more things crammed into that cubbyhole than I would have ever imagined possible. Once I was out of the place, I sat on my bike and was thinking for a bit about the everything I had just seen. I remembered some quote that I had read sometime ” It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little – do what you can.” (It’s Sydney Smith, I just found out now who said this thanks to the miracle of Google).

From that day in 1996 I have been associated with this organisation. I started going to The Banyan from the very next day, everyday for almost an year or more. I started off doing odd accounts jobs, data entry jobs but it was fun and I really enjoyed my time. Went for movies almost every other night, and made lots and lots of friends (more than I had ever imagined possible, given my limited social skills at that time) . Every time I went back home from The Banyan, the kind of satisfaction I used to get was unbelievable. The sad fact is that because I now live and work in Bangalore I am not able to spend physical time, but I do try my best to do as and when any need arises.

In 2000, I finally got the chance of going for a rehab trip which took to me places where I would never have dreamt of going. It took me to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, the experiences of the same would be shared with you in another blog. By the time I finished the trip I had gone through so many different experiences and emotions that many people would not have had in their entire life. In short it was eye opening, enriching and a completely satisfying trip.

There was a time when I finished my article clerk work and was looking out for a job. Was sitting at home not doing anything and I started going to Banyan everyday to volunteer for them, and they actually wanted to pay me for the same. It was so sweet of them, really

I may be called a sentimental sap after this, but I’d like to acknowledge a few things that I believe would never have happened if I had not gone there that evening. I met my future wife through one of my now best friend Madan Menon whom I met first time in The Banyan (whoo!! It sounds a lot like it does when two mallus get together and discuss family their family tree). I got my first proper job ( and am still working at the same place even now) because of Mrs. Madhuri Menon, Madan’s mom (I call her Aunts), she gave my CV to her friend through whom I got an interview. The two of the most important things in a persons life, a Good Wife and a Satisfying Job, both I have and I know it happened only after I got into contact with The Banyan (may be I would have got the same even if The Banyan was not a part of life, but I would like to believe it otherwise). But more than those two, the most important thing I got out from The Banyan are FRIENDS. I always believe that Friends are the most important people in a person’s life. Rabindranath Tagore said “Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance”.

It would be redundant to say that the Banyan changed my life in many immeasurable ways, big and small (and it would be superfluous indeed for me to ask all of you guys to please visit http://www.thebanyan.org/, and please go through what they really do and please do anything that you can do. Something is always better than nothing. And organisations like this can never have enough help). I’ve changed (for the better I believe) since I met Vandana, Vaishnavi and everyone at The Banyan and in some small way I’d like to believe that I made a difference to the world around me because of my association with them.

Jai Hind Go GreenPosted by Manoj at 2:33 AM

Armed with paintbrushes and cans of orange, yellow and green, Team Banyan was at work when I entered the room allotted for The Banyan within the premises of the Indian Institute of Mental Health in Chennai. The day had finally arrived – The Banyan BLIP Day!

The sprawling grounds of the institution houses one of the most neglected and marginalized sections of the society – the mentally ill. Within these same grounds, The Banyan will be operating from a room that we can now call our own.

When the Banyan exceeded its capacity for residential housing at its Adaikalam Centre located at Mogappair, the idea of Project Dial 100 – the Mental Health Helpline was conceived and it marked the start of a unique collaborative effort between The Banyan, the Chennai city Police and the Indian Institute of Mental Health. Emergency and distress calls regarding mentally ill and homeless people that are made on Dial 100 are routed by the Chennai city Police to The Banyan which helps rescue and admit the patients to the IMH round the clock – both male and female patients in this case.

The project has seen three years of completion but what was needed was an internal space to operate from within Indian Institute of Mental Health to invest our time, resources and energy into the Dial 100 project in a more efficient way. Our wish was fulfilled because of the efforts of Dr. Sathyanathan (Director of IMH).

While some were busy painting and cleaning the room, a few from the team chose to visit and interact with the residents. The Banyan room was next to the female wards, so we made a tour of the male wards. Blank faces amidst those that registered recognition of the senior staff members greeted us. Earlier one of female patients had tried to argue that she was a “mental case” and different from us all at the Banyan staff. But we convinced her that mental illness was just that – an illness, and all of us were prone to succumb to it but still had hope because it is curable.

Back at the site of action, our fumbling but zealous members of Team Banyan were joined by the residents who helped the former clean and paint the place. As yet another coat of orange paint was laid on the wall; the smile it brought upon the face of the patients was priceless. Now that’s something called team work!

Soumya Raju, Jr. Coordinator of Mental Health Helpline was extremely tired having started work at 8:10 am. She is one of the key people who will be in charge of running the show from The Banyan room in IMH. In her own words, the room had been cleaned and painted at the end of the day, but her biggest reward came in the form of a hug from Sudha, a patient at IMH.

Instead of saying “no” and closing the doors, we found a way to open several others. One of those doors now leads to The Banyan: Mental Health Helpline project office within the IMH premises.

Come, visit!

D. Kavitha

Communications Coordinator/PR Officer

……..Well it just DID!! The transformer near The Banyan village in Kovalam, just managed to light up a few lives around it and it has been named The Banyan SS1( read: The Banyan Sub Station 1 )!!!
 
Few months ago when we had been to the Electricity Board office in Chengleput to request them to set up a transformer near the PC, as the electricity supply in PC and the nearby vicinity was just 70 VOLTS( very very low), The Superindentent Engineer looked at us very skeptically and asked us if we were sure of what we were saying.

The SE stated that there was no place in the entire nation that had electricity supply as low as 70 VOLTS. and he felt we were talking without knowing facts.

However the Assistant engineer from Kovalam explained on the existing situation of very low voltage in the area, and the SE swung his men into action.

From then on after repeated follow ups and reminders, today the transformer has come up in the PC site and now the voltage in the PC and the nearby vicinity is 240 VOLTS…!!

The residents of the PC had a pooja for the Transformer!! along with the EB guys who got it installed..

The lights in the PC are no longer dim and we never had a chance to run the generator, and most importantly, thanks to this effort of ours that the entire village around PC gets to glow a little brighter in the nights.
 
Just wanted to share with you on how an entire community has benefitted for a lifetime with the interest taken by The Banyan ( especially Ashok Sir)!!
 
 
Porkodi.PL

Sr. Co-ordinator, CMHP
(Community Mental Health Programme)

Courtesy: http://www.thehealthblog.net/mental-health/religious-activity-and-mental-health/

Religious Activity and Mental Health

Written by Charlie on January 23, 2008

While we’re on the subject of mental health, I ran across a blog post detailing the results of a study on the correlation between religious activity and mental health. The study was conducted by Joanna Maselko, Sc.D of Temple University. She says that “One’s lifetime pattern of religious service attendance can be related to psychiatric illness.” Interesting, isn’t it?The results of the study indicate that women who stop their religious activity are three times more likely to suffer from mental problems such as general anxiety and alcohol abuse or dependence. However, the results are not the same for the opposite sex. In fact, for men who have always been religiously active, stopping religious activity would make them less prone to depression and similar problems!

Maselko’s explanation for this disparity? “Women are simply more integrated into the social networks of their religious communities. When they stop attending religious services, they lose access to that network and all its potential benefits. Men may not be as integrated into the religious community in the first place and so may not suffer the negative consequences of leaving.”

I grew up in church. I went to Sunday School weekly as a kid – actually well way into my college years, when I attended the weekly services. To be honest, I haven’t attended church in ages. I suppose looking back, the study does apply to me. However, I am sure that there are those who may not have had the same experience. Nevertheless, I think this study and its findings are quite intriguing, don’t you think?

On 04.01.2008 for the third time we have screened movie in Institute of Mental Health. This time it was in male ward 6. I thought to share my experience with you all.This time we have screened Tamil movie “UNNALE UNNALE”. Me, Cibin and Rajesh reached there by 1.30 P.M. In IMH 1.00 to 2.00 is lunch time for the residents. So all of them were busy in taking lunch. We three were busy in setting up the things. That time one of the resident named Kutti came there and he was observing the things happening.In the beginning of the movie there is one song in which girls were dancing and they are wearing “Micro mini Skirts”. By seeing that, Kutti felt embarrissed and he said ” Indha madhiri padam podadhiringa sir. Asingama irk. Ponnungalku thuniye illa.” The way he was telling was so funny. The thing i told this incident is, it was indicating how shy and innocent he is.

At 2 O’clock all the residents came and started enjoying the movie. I was sitting in the front and observing the reactions of the residents. All of them were so happy. In IMH there are people who are staying there for last 30 years!!!! Just imagine there feelings….. They have not gone to there home and not met there family members. 30 years is really a long period. Can u all just imagine whether that person knows to smile???? What u feel….????? “NO”??? U r wrong…….!!!! I saw that innocent smile on his face. He was enjoying the movie….

At the end i went and asked him how was the movie. He said ” Rumba nalla irindhadhu Madam. Ninge yellarume inge vandhu ippadi edhavathu activity panna nalla irku madam. inneku na rumba santhoshama irke.”

It was a good compliment for our work….

Thanks for reading this mail…..

Regards,
Soumya Raju
Jr. Co-ordinator
Rehab, Helpline

 

 Karina Pandya

Karina.pandya@thebanyan.org

Pocketed away in the Thiruporur Block a section of society exists, ostracized by many and looked after by few.

These are the people who so simply lead their lives with no complaints, but so desperately need our attention and help.

A small village exists in the Thiruporur Block, called Kovalam where many villagers face problems most of us are unaware of.

In the heart of this village is a Mosque, i.e. a Muslim temple where men and women- of any religion or race; be it a Hindu or a Christian or a Parsee turn to god to pray.

This place is not only just a place to pray but also where forgiveness is sought. Some of the Muslim saints are buried within this structure. 

Another phenomenon which occurs in this Dargha is the presence of people who have literally lost all faith and hope in themselves and everything around them believe that by visiting this Dargha they will be relived of their pain. Many of these people believe that they have been possessed by an evil spirit.

Such people are the people who are facing; if not chronic but milder versions of mental illnesses.

Many of them wander inside the Dargha talking to themselves impromptu to the peculiar hallucinations and delusions that they hold.

For them escaping the voices and images in their head is a battle but they don’t know how to escape it.

Not only are these people found wandering within the Dargha but also healers who are believed to be people who possess the right knowledge to heal them of this ailment.

They thus are the cure to these strange mannerisms and are also found wandering within The Dargha.

There have been various techniques the healers have used to drive the evil spirit out of the body or liberate the soul.  Many a time beating the patient till the evil spirit is believed to be released from the body, or hammering a nail in their forehead or even pulling out the hair of the patient are done. However these are not so common anymore. Exorcism rituals are practiced in many other manners to liberate the soul.

But, the real problem is not the villagers but the lack of facilities and amenities they are getting. Education is lacking in terms of the right type of awareness and knowledge in the village.

Most of the villagers face severe poverty and thus cannot afford to send their children to schools. Thus a web is created where the choice is “To Survive” or “Not to Survive.”

Earning wages are not so high and the chief source of income comes through the livelihood of the fishermen of the Block. To realize this and start spreading education in places where it is needed the most can prevent this backward standard of living. To cater to the health issues faced by the local villagers in Kovalam a health unit has been established close to The Dargha. This health-unit caters not only to the needs of mentally ill destitute women but also to that of mentally ill men as well. Thus there is a link between the Village Panchayat and the Health Center. Issues such as Primary Sanitation, Cleanliness, etc are dealt with between the Health Center and the Village panchayat. During the daytime both men and women who visit the Health Center engage in vocational training and activities.  A doctor is available to offer his service to the Patients who visit throughout the day. Community Mental Health Program is a core aspect of the work of The Health Center. Here, actual home-visits are made to the patient’s house to fully understand where the patient is coming from, his background, lifestyles, etc. Thus investigations are made to understand the development of the mental disorder and how the right help can be received. 

Having made a home visit I landed upon Patient X’s home in Kovalam. On interacting with his wife I was briefed about his case history and development of the illness he suffered from- Major Depression.

He had been suffering from this since the past five years. Having a family of 2 sons,1 daughter, his wife and himself Patient X lead a normal life before onset of illness. Not having enough money to send his sons to school they were sent off to a government hostile for schooling. Only his daughter remained with them, enrolled in an English medium government school. Working at a general store close to their home Patient X found his way to earn a livelihood.  His daily routine was to work from early morning to night. His wife would pick him up from work daily at the same time of nine pm. Things changed gradually as Patient X began showing a change in behavior patterns. More withdrawal signs coupled with unhappiness; a phenomenon that occurred five years ago; when Patient X was only thirty years old. Little was spoken about this to his wife but all that was confirmed was a turnover in business with heavy losses. Having faced severe forms of depression from suicidal thoughts to prolonged states of sadness major depression was no easy thing to get through. However, on receiving the right kind of medication of right kind of help from The Health Center Patient X has overcome this

 

 Karina Pandya

karina.pandya@thebanyan.org

Tripped on reality – this year’s Mumbai marathon holds a special meaning to all of us.  

Not only are people from all over the world showing up at Mumbai but people facing various physical and mental issues will also join in!  

The Mumbai marathon being part of the top four internationally recognized marathons intends to be different from its other years. This year’s race or “marathon” is promoting peace, unity, and non-discrimination between different groups of our society.  

Suffering from a mental illness should not be a hurdle in one’s life and to demonstrate this some of The Banyan’s residents will be participating in this marathon with zeal and enthusiasm. 

The Banyan, a Chennai based NGO recognized this lack of awareness in the sphere of mental health. A certain section of our society suffers from mental illnesses and do not receive the right kind of help that they deserve. 

Having been in existence for 14 years, The Banyan has reached out to more than 2000 homeless women suffering from mental illness and re-united families across the country through its various projects   

The residents from The Banyan join hands to show the strength they exhibit and that they too deserve an equal opportunity to be part of the society. 

The Mumbai Marathon signifies a win-win situation and no one holds chance to stand place as a loser. 

Some might say that a race is not a race if there is no winner but at The Banyan every lady, every participant is a winner.

Robert Downey Jr, Academy award-nominated and Golden Globe winning actor, once drug-addict.