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Tales of hope
SHALINI UMACHANDRAN
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`Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight', a book released recently, tells the story of the mentally ill destitute women of The Banyan.
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EVERYBODY KNOWS the story of The Banyan — two girls straight out of college, who started a home for mentally ill destitute women, that has grown to become one of the city's best known rehabilitation centres. But there's more to the tale than just that and the book `Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight' by Kendra Frazier tells this story. The book was released at Amethyst on Monday by Harsh Mander, Country Director of Action Aid, India.
Kendra, an American married to Karsten Warnecke, the German Consul in Chennai, got involved with The Banyan after the death of her youngest son in February 2000. Her journey with The Banyan, as she describes it, has been one of experiencing human love and learning about truth and compassion.
`Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight' tells the stories of women who have lost their sanity when faced with extreme circumstances — grief, pain, sorrow, hurt. "It's easy to be sane when life is going well," says Kendra. She explains that when she lost her son, she had the rest of her family to take care of her, to prevent her from losing her mind but not all women are so fortunate. The tales in the book are of these women who have been rendered psychotic by extraordinary circumstances.
The book is neither a misty eulogy to The Banyan and its founders nor a description of mental illness and depression. It tells the story of 24 women who were brought to The Banyan in various states of despair and insanity and the slow process of rehabilitation. In a matter of fact but touching style it recounts their stories and the help they received at The Banyan.
Not all the stories are dramatic or sensational but they are all remarkable because they tell the tale of people who have been rejected, marginalised and even given up for dead. Over the past nine years, The Banyan has helped more than 400 women to return to their homes. There are stories of joyous reunions with families, of despair, of families rejecting daughters and wives when The Banyan takes them back home; but there is always an element of hope — the message that despair and distress can always be turned into hope.
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