The world of mentally-challenged individuals is complicated. It is impossible for an outsider to understand what is the mind of such a person going through? Of what torments and travails he is put through. Is he in any physical pain? Does he know that he is in physical pain? When was the last time he ate? Does he know he is hungry? Does he know that if he eats food, his hunger would go away? ... and to top it all, does he know how to get food?
It was only over this weekend did i realize that most mentally-challenged individuals do not know the Art of begging. These are individuals who have lost their ways in life, abandoned by their families and are thrown into the realities of a harsh world. Most of these individuals do not know how to even beg. The result - Their life is a total mess. Not cared by anyone, not loved and are allowed to suffer painfully, as death slowly sinks its teeth in their lives. Most of us just walk past them if we ever encounter them on the streets, with probably an accelerated pace.
One man chose to be different. He is Mr. Rafi. Whenever he sees a mentally ill person walking on the streets, he gets them food and takes them to his centre - Anbagam. He provides them an environment of safety and comfort. Gives them psychiatric treatment and slowly helps them recover. Not just that, with the help of social workers he jots down every single thing which these mentally challenged individuals say (however incoherent it may be), tries to make meaning out of it and ultimately try and reunite them with their families.
He has been doing that for years now and has so far successfully reunited over 600 such individuals with their families. His centre presently accommodates about 120 individuals (100 males and 20 females). He was constrained by space to accommodate more females. You may well be able to appreciate that the challenges for a mentally ill women in our society (especially if they are young and abandoned) is exponential to that of a male. Hence the need to accommodate more of them cannot be over-emphasized.
Happy that our trust, Samarpan (formed by like minded friends and colleagues), got an opportunity to build a separate wing for the ladies and we successfully inaugurated it yesterday. 20 such women will have a roof over their heads when they sleep today.
Rafi's of the world are precious. They are blessed individuals who have taken upon such a mission on to themselves. I am not sure if most us have the framework to live even one day of Rafi's life. So be it. However, could we support a few of these inspirations?
Here is a scene at Anbagam..
Also pasting below the link to an article which recently appeared
on this subject
