If not the spotlight, atleast some ambient light?

Toba Tek Singh, a short story written by Saadat Hasan Manto is considered one of his finest works and as with his other works, holds a mirror to the societal norms.

I read the story in school as part of the curriculum and came away unimpressed, a little disappointed and confused. What had it been about? It talks of a mental asylum and its inmates. After the partition of India, the two countries decided to exchange their people in the ‘madhouses’ based on their religion. The story features rants and incomprehensible (to my young mind) reactions from people living there.

Why was I confused? At 15 odd years, it was the first time I had encountered mental illness. Rather than a feeling of poignancy, all I felt was apathy and a mild repulsion. And this quite well sums up why mental health or illness is much misunderstood.

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

There are lack of conversations. No, I would go back and say we don’t ‘see’ enough mental issues around us just because we don’t talk about them. It’s not that they are not there; it’s that we don’t acknowledge them.

If we do hear of people who are depressed or suicidal or so affected by a mental illness that their daily lives are impacted, the condition is presented only in black or white. There are no greys. There’s no awareness on the spectrum of disorders or conditions one might have.

Let us atleast begin by speaking of these conditions in the same breath as nutritional deficiencies, infections and even lifestyle diseases. Sensitise children, have more chapters in textbooks, more movies, more songs about these debilitating illnesses that are as physiological in origin as the other physical ailments.

After all, how would we treat it if it’s not really visible?

This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter where I speak of mental health.

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