RATNA SHOWS THE WAY WITH HER WILL!
“If they said take a broom and sweep, I would do it,” Ratna Mukherjee, Cultural Affairs Advisor at the Office of Public Affairs, US Consulate General offers as an explanation for the work she does at The Banyan. But sweeping apart, she has shown her support through fundraising, selling tickets, helping with tickets and well, just talking.
“I meet a lot of people in my area of work, and I talk about The Banyan at any given opportunity,” she smiles. “There are many misconceptions about the mentally ill, primarily that they could be dangerous. I share what I have learnt from the residents here to people I meet,” she explains.
Fascinated by the story of the organisation's founders, Ratna, , started volunteering for The Banyan in 1998. “I was heading the NGO exchange programme at the Consulate and thought Vandana would be an ideal candidate for it,” she explains. Her interest in the founders, spilled over into their work and she slowly became interested in the issue of mental health.
“The stigma, stereotyping are not things that are often spoken about. But truly they are no different from us. We all go through extremes in our lives,” she observes.
Initially, she was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic welcome from the residents. “They would all come up to you and crowd around but I soon realized that they are all so caring and loving and was thrilled,” she recalls, an experience that she gladly shares with her colleagues.
“I speak to them about The Banyan, about mental health issues. I tell them about these women, who often become invisible people because it's not something people generally talk about,” she explains.
A Bengali who calls Chennai home, Ratna also helps with translations when women from West Bengal or Assam are brought in. “I speak to them and try find out where exactly they are from. Most of them have the same thread. Their families would have simply put them on a bus and let them go as if they were dispensable which is very sad.”
“Most of them want to go back home. Some are even aware that they were sent off but very very few refuse to go back,” she says.
After almost ten years, Ratna says that she has benefited more from the association with The Banyan than the organization itself. “The Banyan has done so much more for me. Everytime I come here, I realize that I have no right to crib about anything and it's a lesson I learn every time. Also being with Vandana and Vaishnavi has made more me sensitive to my surroundings, more interested in doing something about things around me.”
And as a sign of gratitude and continued commitment to the cause, Ratna, a single woman, recently made a will leaving all her possessions to The Banyan. “I have seen it grow from a two-roomed apartment to what it is today. I would rather leave it to them,” she says simply.
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