Healing in the Hills

Padma Shri awardee Mukul Chandra Goswami, a retired bank employee, helms Ashadeep, a Guwahati-based non-profit working in the field of mental healthcare.

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He has been involved in assisting mentally ailing people and raising awareness for three decades. Ashadeep was formed in 1996 with the declared aim of filling "a vacuum in the area of psychiatric rehabilitation in the state of Assam." Starting with day care and rehabilitation for persons with mental disorders, they gradually emerged as an institution providing a wide range of mental healthcare services, including free psychiatric outdoor clinic, resource centre and home for the homeless. Apart from Assam, they are also active in Nagaland and have worked in Meghalaya and Tripura partnering with other organisations. They focus on two of the most marginalised sections-homeless persons with mental illness and persons with intellectual disabilities. Goswami, a septuagenarian, has served as a member of the Union government's Steering Group Committee of the National Health Mission and a member of the Task Force for formulating the National Strategy for Inclusive and Community-based Living for Persons With Mental Health Issues. He spoke to Snigdhendu Bhattacharya about the state of mental healthcare in Northeast India

What have you learnt about the mental healthcare field in Northeast India through your work?

My key understanding is that the stigma around mental illness is quite less in Northeast India when compared to other parts of the country, but at the same time, people also have very limited access to mental healthcare facilities. My wife and I are not qualified mental health professionals. We were trained carers. So, our experiences come from the practical handling of persons dealing with mental health issues and providing care to them. We have seen that people here acknowledge the breakdown of mental health as an illness that can be treated. So, they are not hesitant to seek help.

Why is the stigma around mental illness lesser in this region?