Where heart mends mind
COIMBATORE: At the age of 32, S Manjari was slowly but steadily rewriting the story of her life. She was going to meet her 13-year-old daughter after a three-year hiatus. She refuses to pin her life as some sob story and is filled with eagerness for this new leash of life. 'I am going to meet my daughter after a long time. It is very exciting, as my daughter will see me in a new look — she might only remember me from when I was mentally ill. But today I am self-employed and mentally stronger.'
Three years ago, Manjari had walked out of her home in Gandhipuram. Unable to cope with schizophrenia and severe depression, she had left her family and was soon rescued by volunteers of the NGO 'Helping Hearts' that runs government homes in the district for mentally-ill destitute people. Now, Manjari is among the eight women, rescued from the streets and lodged at the Mettupalayam Government Home, who have become self-employed running Aavin parlours in Coimbatore.
Manjari was initially admitted to the NGO's home at Mettupalayam, where she received therapy and counselling-based treatment, which resulted in her healing. 'I have a diploma in Computer Applications, but communication was always my problem. Earlier, I used to talk a lot as I was afraid that if I did not talk, I would get stressed out. This led to a lot of problems and eventually made me leave my family. Today, I feel that I have recovered a lot from my trauma. Now, I am mentally stronger,' she says.
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