¦ Vidu, last time you participated in our columns, you had left politics behind and found a new way to contribute to society. What motivated that change?

It’s been such a long time and politics is so far behind now that I can hardly remember what the exact reasons were! But I know it was a series of circumstances. It is easy to rationalise when looking back but what is important is that it is a decision I do not regret on the contrary, with time, I think it was a very wise decision. I feel free to hold views and to air them without worrying about the party political line! And also I have more time to devote to other issues which are very close to my heart such as the devastating effect of mental illness not only on those directly affected but on whole families and close ones. This is the reason why I decided to join Friends in Hope, an NGO giving support and assistance to the mentally ill and to their families.

¦ Yes, do tell us about this organization .

Friends in Hope was founded by a group of parents in the late 1990s to provide post hospitalisation care to the mentally ill. It is a well-known fact that medication alone cannot ensure stability and has to be accompanied by other therapeutic support facilities and an appropriate environment.

¦ In concrete terms, what does the organization do for the patient who has just left hospital?

Our main work is done through a Rehabilitation and Social Activity centre at Bonne Terre. We accompany people suffering from mental illnesses through various stages. We first have a counseling desk at Brown Sequard hospital where we establish the first contact with patients and their relatives.

We also carry out information and destigmatization campaigns to change attitudes among the public. We have a web site (www.friendsinhope.com) Although excellent work is being done by our qualify ed staff at the centre, we badly need volunteers for our parent support network and to organize leisure activities for our clients.

¦ After the patient has left the hospital and his/her case has been stabilized, s/ he then joins your centre for further therapy? How does the therapy continue?

Through individual counseling and group therapy as well as workshops. Through these activities, the adherents, as we call them here, learn to stand on their own feet and lead a normal life. When they make progress, we try to help them find a job.

¦ That can’t be easy…

No, it is not. Companies are reluctant to offer employment to people with a history of mental illness.

¦ There is still a lot of stigma attached to mental illness. How do families of the mentally ill cope?

Many affected families live in very great distress, some in total social isolation. Many are in denial and hope and pray for a miracle.

But the distress is devastating. A lot of work needs to be done to change attitudes and to eliminate misconceptions about mental illnesses.

So, it is extremely comforting at this stage to meet other parents and relatives who have come to terms with the situation because they can explain things first hand. You then realize that you are not alone in your distress and learn ways of dealing with the illness.

¦ Being so involved in this association is a complete change for you. Is your life now as fulfilling as in politics?

It is a very different type of engagement, a very private and a very intense one. Sometimes when listening to the stories of families and the problems they have to cope with, nothing else seems quite so important. It’s a humbling experience which makes the mundane issues of party politics seem so trivial and insignificant.

¦ In comparison, you mean?

Oh yes. I am not trying to denigrate the work done by politicians many do a very good job but few people have the time or the energy to devote to the sometimes seemingly invisible sufferings of those affected by mental illness.

¦ Many of them would not get the same satisfaction. What gives you satisfaction?

A phone call or a conversation can make all the difference to a parent in distress. Not knowing what to do and whom to turn to, in a crisis situation is a terrible situation. Sharing and giving support to each other in moments of difficulty can pull those in need out of total despair and that can be very satisfying.

¦ The journey from politics to social work is atypical. Most people go into social work with the intention of building a base to later join politics.

I never went into politics as a career and still less into Friends in Hope to become a social worker!

¦ Probably not, but it IS social work, isn’t it? The real type since you obviously have no ambition of using it to your advantage.

Well, I do not see myself as a Mother Theresa! It is just that I joined the Association when I understood the terrible problems of mental illness and, in a way, sharing and giving support has become a way of life which makes me feel comfortable.

¦ You were considered one of the few women who would perhaps have reached the highest office had you stayed in politics. Don’t you think that that would have paved the way for other women?

Many of those who believe this do so because I happen to be of the ‘right’ community and the ‘right’ caste and therefore belong to the group of those who normally reach the highest office in politics. And this is so totally wrong. I am so happy that circumstances have steered me away from this completely.

As to paving the way for other women, this rarely happens in politics. You just have to look at other women who have reached positions of power in other countries they have such a hard time trying to maintain their own position that they hardly ever help other women around them to climb up the political hierarchy!

¦ But many women claim that the only way for them to help other women is by getting into politics?

A few women who reach the top levels will not make any difference at all. However, I think that women can constitute a political force that political parties have to reckon with.

They can organise themselves into pressure groups and negotiate with political parties to take on board women’s issues in their electoral programmes.

¦ What are your views of the feminist movements in this country?

Like in other countries, the movements of the 1970s were the most vigorous and probably brought the most critical changes to legislative provisions for greater equality.

There have been gains throughout the years, but in spite of all the changes in the law and other institutional arrangements, the patriarchal basis on which the family continues to function remains a major obstacle to the full emancipation of women. We are still very far from a level playing field!

¦ I know you are not interested in politics any more but would you support the view that we should have a quota for women in politics?

I am not too sure about this one. In fact we already have an unofficial quota system which all the main parties respect which takes care of ethnic, caste and various other socio-religious lobbies. But these lobbies are formed around various demands like important posts in the civil service or in government, or a greater share of programmes on the MBC etc...these lobbies negotiate their electoral support to parties against satisfaction of these demands. But the pressure at the level of women has so far been just for more women as candidates or ministers. It would be much more efficient if the women’s lobby also had a list of demands which would create conditions for greater equality, such as more efficient child care facilities and other family support systems. Sometime quotas are counter productive because more importance is given to mere representation rather than actions that will lead to a more fulfilling life for women.

¦ One in three per constituency?

If parties commit themselves to a women’s programme, then the numbers are no longer important!

Touria PRAYAG