A Beautiful Mind

People with mental illnesses are left out of the narrative and deprived of freedoms and benefits that neuro-typical people take for granted; they deserve freedom from stigma

- P Thiruselvi, Amali Margaret, Roberto Mezzina

ON August 15, 2024, as we stand at the crossroads of redefining freedom in India, it's crucial to reexamine what freedom truly means for some of society's most marginalised individuals. For those living with mental illness, especially coupled with other vulnerabilities such as poverty and homelessness, the concept of freedom remains elusive. In the tapestry of human rights, freedom stands as a fundamental thread-a thread that when unravelled, has the power to dismantle the entire tapestry.

We live in an age where voices of, and for, a diverse group of vulnerable individuals and communities have finally found a meaningful position in civil society and political discourse.

Disability activism made huge strides through treaties such as the United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), framed around the resolution Nothing About Us, Without Us. Public places are becoming more accessible, and education and workspaces for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) are undergoing positive and technologically empowering evolutions. Similarly, the LGBTQIA+ community realised a huge victory with the reading down of Section 377. Along with the Supreme Court's declaration of the rights of transpersons to identify themselves as the third gender, stand for elections, occupy official government positions, India's apex court has brought about a tectonic shift in their legitimacy as Indian citizens with rights.