Dawa and Dua

In Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, genuine efforts are being made under the District Mental Health Programme to help people with mental illnesses. However, a large section of disadvantaged society is still slipping through the cracks

- Swati Subhedar

On a rainy afternoon in July, a busy highway lined with dhabas on either side took us to Mahona, 25 km from Lucknow. A deserted bypass and a narrow lane led us to a dargah. The iron gate opened to an open ground. Heavy downpour had left behind slushy puddles; sunlight peered through the few trees in the compound. The half-constructed dargah was a vision of peace, but the space was filled with stories—of pain, trauma and suffering.

The dargah was a temporary home for 300 families from Lucknow and the nearby districts. Each was with a family member who was living with some form of mental illness. Some were sitting on the open ground, some had taken shelter in the dargah compound and the others were huddled in the two crumbling shelter homes with their minimal belongings—clothes, ration and small cylinders for cooking.

Dozens of young boys were roaming around in chains; a few were tied to trees—their feet shackled in heavy chains and big locks. There were men and women, young and old, Hindus and Muslims. They all had one hope—that “baba” will cure their “pagal” family members if they stayed there for 40 days or more. Some had been staying there for weeks or months, putting their lives and livelihoods on hold, but their kin showed no sign of improvement. Yet, they hoped for a miracle.

Ram Narayan, a labourer from Lucknow, showed us the diagnosis of his son Abhinesh’s “pagalpan”. It read: depressive psychosis. “His health suddenly started deteriorating a year ago. He would abuse us and beat up his siblings. On some days, he would eat like a maniac, and for days, he wouldn’t eat a morsel. There were days when he would run for hours.