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Nirmala lived with her parents in a small town in Madhya Pradesh. A schizophrenic, she experienced frequent bouts of hallucinations. One day, she wandered away from home. Unable to find her way back, she was lost to herself and the world. Eight months later, she reached Chennai. Delusional and penniless, she wandered the streets of Chennai in her tattered rags and matted hair, sleeping on the streets and eating whatever she could scavenge.

It was then that hope, in the shape of the Banyan, entered her world of apparitions. Within its sanctuary, Nirmala began to heal. At times, she was tormented by voices and figures no one else could see. However, medication and the unstinting support of the Banyan helped her to recover.

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After being here for four months, Nirmala was able to communicate a clear address to the social workers. The phone call from Chennai was the miracle that her parents had been praying for. The meeting between them turned into a touching reunion. Mother and daughter were locked in an embrace that could not be broken. The father, overcome with emotion, watched numbly, as his tears flowed on. The Banyan has written many such stories of hope, all revolving around homeless women, in the throes of despair, who have been rehabilitated and united with their families. Today, each woman leads an active and productive life.

The organisation was founded by Vandana Gopikumar and Vaishnavi Jayakumar in 1993 to provide shelter, care and psychiatric and medical services to mentally ill, destitute women in Chennai. The initial years were fraught with hurdles. Although their aims were laudable, they could not get financial support. Most people scoffed at the idea. But they strove on.

A modest, rented bungalow was used as the Adaikalam (shelter) to house over 300 mentally ill women. In 2001, it was shifted to the present premises. The new building has counselling rooms, dormitories, prayer room, common room, growth labs, workshop, kitchen etc. The Banyan team comprises 46 residential employees, two psychiatrists and three general physicians. Their exemplary work has inspired over 125 people to volunteer their services.

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The organisation firmly believes that these women need the same, if not greater, care and concern that any 'normal' individual receives from her family. Within the limitations of an institutional setup, the Banyan seeks to communicate the feeling of being wanted and cared for to women who are ostracised by the same society that has led them to their state of despair. Over the past decade, it has managed to rehabilitate nearly two-thirds of the 750-odd women that have taken shelter under it. The Banyan touches the lives of hundreds of families and communities all over India through its awareness, intervention and outreach programmes. It ensures that the rehabilitated women do not wander away again, with continued support through medication.

Providing quality health care has been the goal of the state since Independence. However, despite advances in science and technology, the benefits of medicine have been restricted to urban areas, calling for a new outlook to quality health services. To deal with these challenges, the Sir Ratan Tata Trust seeks to support innovative strategies for institutions reaching specialist care for the disadvantaged.

In view of the shift from the rejection of the mentally ill to their acceptance, from their isolation to integration, the Trust initiated a rapid assessment of the mental health needs and available resources in terms of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

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The Trust has supported the activities of the Banyan since March 2001. It committed an amount of Rs 63 lakh, spread over a period of three-and-a-half years, towards part of the operating costs of the Adaikalam. Support from the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, coupled with the goodwill earned by the Banyan, has spurred several other corporate bodies and funding agencies, besides individuals, to loosen their purse strings and support this pioneering institution. The Banyan matches the Trust's support by fund raising from other sources, ensuring that their own fund raising capacities do not get diluted.

The Trust hopes that its support, along with the Banyan's unstinting efforts, will put a smile on the faces of several Nirmalas, giving them a life beyond the confines of mental illness, and ensuring that society accept them once again as normal women.