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MELODY AND MESSAGE Kishori Amonkar, Aditi Mangaldas and Pandit Ravi Shankar and daughter Anoushka will perform at Basant Utsav

From one Chellamal in 1993 to thousands being treated, rehabilitated and reunited with their families. From a small three-room rented premises to a well-equipped and specialised care centre (Adaikalam). From the two friends-cum-founders (Vandana and Vaishnavi) to a large well-trained staff. From pleading for donations to celebrity supporters. From being Chennai-centric to branching out to villages. From just treating mentally ill destitute women to a nine-project visionary set-up. Enough facts and figures to show The Banyan is spreading roots.

But care incurs huge costs, especially as the doors of The Banyan are open 24x7 and everything comes free for the inmates. Basant Utsav, an important event in the city’s cultural landscape, was started to raise funds. “Music is a great healer and what better way to help disturbed minds,” says Vandana, one of the founding partners. “We conceived events such as Netru Indru Naalai (a star-spangled show) and Basant Utsav going by our donor profile. Besides, raising the much-needed funds, it’s our way of thanking the donors, many of whom have stood by us all these 14 years.” The events, featuring leading film stars and established musicians and dancers, are meticulously planned and carried out. “In taking care of every little detail we may push the expenses. But I strongly believe our commitment should show in whatever we do. We genuinely value the contribution of our guests, who support the cause by buying tickets. We want them to be part of a good show and return feeling special,” smiles Vandana.

The Basant Utsav is held in the tranquil environs of DakshinChitra on the East Coast Road with a small but niche audience attending the concerts. “We realise the tickets are priced on the higher side, but we get the finest artistes and more importantly, we need funds urgently to meet our monthly expenditure and build a corpus. We face a deficit of Rs. 13 lakh every month. With nine projects running simultaneously, our recurring expenditure is Rs. 33 lakh, says Vandana.

Basant Utsav was started to raise funds to build a permanent shelter with all facilities for the inmates. The Banyan was then operating out of a small rented space which was not enough to house the increasing number of women being brought in. “I remember we needed a huge sum for the building. And came up with the idea of event-related fundraisers. But over the years, we have realised the need for a holistic approach because not all patients are taken back by their families. Some have nowhere to go. Also, we strongly feel people have to be sensitised to mental sickness. That it is completely curable with timely intervention. We want to create awareness at the government level too. Mental health is given least importance in government health programmes.”

So The Banyan has launched several outreach programmes such as the Dial 100 (24/7 mental health emergency helpline in partnership with the Chennai police), the community mental health project, The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health (to generate HR in the development sector), Spice Route, a tourism project at Kovalam that will include a café, boutique and spa to be run Vizhudugal, Women’s Self Help Group, The Banyan resource centre (networking, capacity building, training and research), The Banyan Village (community-based long term support), Social enterprise wing, Reintegration and after-care and Vocational training and employment.

“Our hands are full. But we have the passion to take on more. What we need are human and financial resources,” says Vandana. With so much to do they had to give up on one of their popular events “Netru Indru Naalai”. “It’s difficult organising such a large-scale show with a big line-up of actors. We don’t have the time and energy anymore. Basant Utsav on the contrary is easier and an energiser,” smile Vandana. In the past, the Utsav has had artistes such as Zakir Hussain, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Sonal Mansingh, Bikram Ghosh, Shobana, Malavika Sarukkai, Parveen Sultana, Shuba Mudgal and Bombay Jayasree. The event begins with a dance recital moves on to music.

This year being the tenth anniversary celebrations of Basant Utsav, it is being held in two parts. Today at 6 p.m. at DakshinChitra, Aditi Mangaldas and Kishori Amonkar will perform. And on February 9 at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao concert hall (Lady Andal School) sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka will perform at 6.30 p.m. For details call 98400 20161 or 43532323.

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