Societal acceptance is essential for most people but, does the society abide with the progressive thought that you have? The world will change the day everyone accepts each other with their shortcomings and alter the conservative mindsets. None of us has mastered perfection because life teaches you new things every now and then.

A lot of people feel ashamed of taking a mentally disabled family member along with them to a social gathering. It’s not right on anybody’s part to label them like a stigma as they have the potential to be productive. Vandana Gopikumar and Vaishnavi Jayakumar decided to provide such homeless people with a better life back in 1993. And that was the year when they came up with The Banyan, an NGO that offers treatments to homeless people facing mental health issues. They have not only reformed their lives but, have also reunited most of them with their families.

Be it psychiatric or acute medical care, they provide them with everything to lead a good life. In the year 1995 Vandana and Vaishnavi rescued a homeless girl named Kajal who taught them two important lessons in life, either to give up when life gets unfair or to remember the ones who have always loved you and been good to you.

Vandana and Vaishnavi not only got Kajal out of a difficult situation that she was facing but, also gave her a great life. She holds a masters degree today and also works as a research assistant with their organization. While talking to The Hindu about her story, Vandana said: “When we found Kajal, she was six years old. Her mother had bipolar disorder and was homeless, so they would sleep outside Ethiraj College (in Chennai). It seemed as though the police had hit her mother many times for squatting.”

Numerous people in India suffer from mental illness. All that they need is a reason to rejoice to live life to the fullest and you could be that reason. It would be a great world for them if we try to look into their problems together just like Vandana and Vaishnavi.

Image Courtesy: The Banyan