aLost,Mumbai woman finds her ‘self’ in Surat

Shalini,who earned a living with her daughter running a tiffin service in Dahisar,had not celebrated Diwali for the last two years after Madhavi failed to turn home as scheduled. Though a missing person complaint was filed at Dahisar police station,Madhavi could not be traced.

None know how Madhavi ended up in Surat,but she caught everyone’s attention as she roamed the streets in Olpad area of Surat,with torn clothes and in an obvious state of mental distress. “We gave her clothes and took her home. She seemed a decent woman. But she refused our hospitality. All she would do is to have tea,sit quietly for hours and sleep on the footpath,” says Manju Maasi (aunt),the tea stall owner who first spotted her.

Having observed that she spoke only Hindi and Marathi,it was difficult for this neighbourhood aunt to glean much from Madhavi. Manju Maasi narrated her dilemma to one of the regulars to her tea stall,Ilyas Shaikh,a land dealer working in Olpad area and residing in Adajan in Surat.

Wary of reaching out to a young woman,Ilyas in turn contacted his friend Rajendra Thakore,a head constable with Olpad police station,and told him he was willing to foot the medical bill for Madhavi’s treatment. “I was scared that my willingness to help a young girl would be misconstrued,but Rajendra reassured me and we decided to take her together to a psychiatrist,” says Ilyas.

They admitted her to Divya Mental Hospital in Athwa Lines,where psychiatrist Dr Timir Shah diagnosed her as a schizophrenic. After knowing her background,he subsidised her treatment,while Ilyas and his friends contributed to pay the medical bill.

Dr Shah said,“Madhavi had a memory loss because of schizophrenia and her mental state was not too good when she was brought to hospital. She responded to treatment only after three months. We learnt she could read and write English too fluently.”

It was during the course of her treatment that Dr Shah jogged her memory enough to get her mother’s contact number and get in touch with her.

On Saturday,everyone including the hospital staff,Manju Maasi,Ilyas Shaikh and Rajendra Thakore,were present to meet Shalini,who accompanied by her relatives had come to fetch her daughter at the hospital.

Talking to The Indian Express from Dahisar,Shalini Kadam said,“My elder daughter is married and there is nobody in my family now to help me. Madhavi is very attached to me and she was distressed after her marriage failed within a month. I owe it to Ilyasbhai,doctors and everyone. We now have to take extra care of Madhavi as the doctors have advised.”