Pals rally around abandoned woman
School friends of Mekhla Mukherjee, a schizophrenic who was rescued by an NGO from her shabby apartment, were shocked to read about her in Mumbai Mirror
Ram.Parmar mirrorfeedback@indiatimes.com
The heartrending story (Mumbai Mirror, August 3) of Mekhla Mukherjee – an educated but mentally unstable woman who was rescued by an NGO from her Thane flat – caught the attention of her schoolmates, who were shocked beyond measure by their friend’s pitiable state.
After reading the story in Mirror, around 20 of Mekhla’s friends got in touch with each other on Facebook and formed a support group for her. Armed with an album of faded photographs of their school days, they visited their friend at the Anand Rehabilitation Centre in Nallasopara with the hope that it will stir memories in Mekhla’s brain ravaged by schizophrenia. But whether or not her condition improves, her band of pals has vowed to look after her once her treatment gets over.
Meanwhile, Mekhla’s US-based uncle has spoken to his niece and is likely to meet her. Her mother Deepali, 73, is staying in Lokhandwala complex, a few blocks away from her eldest sister’s residence. Mekhla’s father Manas passed away in April, but she is unaware of his demise.
Mekhla was discovered in her shabby apartment living in unhygienic conditions and without electricity for the past seven years. Abandoned by her family, including her husband and elder sister, Mekhla – a post graduate in advertising and marketing from the Xavier Institute of Communication – was unaware of her own destitute condition.
However, the picture of Mekhla that her friends evoke from their school days starkly contrasts her present state. In fact, her friends say they can’t believe it’s the same cheerful girl they knew from yesteryear.
There were tears in the eyes of Savri Alag, Radhika Jain, Yasmin Ranijiwala, and Meher Acharia when they saw Mekhla at the rehab centre run by R Gopalakrishnan.
“Mekhla was never like this when we studied at J B Petit High School for Girls,” said Alag. Jain added, “She was a studious girl who scored around 76 per cent in her ICSE exams in 1991. After that, we did not keep in touch as we got busy with our careers.”
Even Ranijiwala can’t believe the way Mekhla’s life has fallen apart. “She was the House Captain in our school and was very good at athletics, throwball, and other sports. In fact, she won a trophy during an interschool throwball competition,” she said. Ranijiwala added that Mekhla took part in school plays and had dreamt of a good future.
But their friend’s condition has only strengthened their resolve to shield her from any further harm. “We will wait for the three-month treatment period to get over and then discuss a future course of action with Gopalakrishnan. We will not let Mekhla live like this,” said Acharia, watching her long-lost friend turn the pages of the album.
I WANT TO STAY WITH MOM Mekhla has requested Gopalakrishnan to let her stay with her mother after she is discharged. But he is sceptical about doing that. He also said her elder sister, who is a film journalist with an English daily, is yet to contact Mekhla.
Meanwhile, in his will, her father Manas made his brother and Mekhla’s uncle Devashish Mukherjee his executor. Mukherjee, who stays in New York, got in touch with his niece after reading about her in Mirror.
“We hope Mekhla’s uncle comes to meet her and reunion revives some of her memories,” Gopalakrishnan said. He added that Mekhla’s ex-husband has deposited Rs 30,000 with the centre to take care of Mekhla’s treatment.
Mekhla when she was rescued
Mekhla (sitting left) seen with her friends during school days
FLASHBACK The August 3 Mumbai Mirror report on Mekhla’s condition
Amentally unstable woman was rescued from her Thane flat by an NGO on Monday morning. A post graduate in advertising and marketing from the Xavier Institute of Communication, Mekhla Mukherjee, 35, had been living in extremely unhygienic conditions and without electricity for seven years.
She has been abandoned by her family, including her husband and elder sister, who is a senior entertainment journalist working with an English broadsheet. Her father, Manas Mukherjee, is a retired general manager of State Bank of India, Kolkata, has allegedly not kept in touch with her either.
However, Mekhla is unaware of her own destitute condition, suffering as she is from schizophrenia. When the NGO led by R Gopalakrishnan, tipped off by a local journalist went in to rescue her, they found her in a pitiable state, but blissfully ensconced in the belief that her husband will come soon take her away. The rug which serves as her bed, the broken windows which are a freeway for pigeons, the accumulated faeces and soiled newspapers used to clean up her periods, told a different story.
Mekhla’s ex-husband – he had divorced her in 2005, but she is unaware of this – and his mother were present at the Nallasopara rehabilitation centre where she has been provided shelter. Requesting anonymity since he has now remarried, he said, “We met at a Vodafone call centre in 1998, fell in love and married in 2001 against our family’s wishes. I am a Maharashtrian and she is a Bengali.” The marriage, says the man now working with HDFC bank, ran into rough weather with the arrival of his mother and his father’s demise. “My mother and Mekhla did not get along at all, leading to very ugly clashes at home.”
Apparently, Mekhla also suspected her husband was cheating her around this time. For reasons best known to him, the husband bought a flat in Mira Road, literally dumped her there and continued to live with his mother in a rented apartment elsewhere.
Mekhla’s mental condition began deteriorating, and though the husband paid the EMIs on the flat and all other society charges, he stopped paying the electricity bills in 2003. “I did not want the flat to be forfeited by the bank,” he argued when we quizzed him on this.
Meanwhile, Mekhla’s journalist sister, who stays in Lokhandwala, too had allegedly severed all ties with her in 2001. When we tried to talk to her, she refused to comment, asking us to get in touch with Mekhla’s in-laws instead.
Since 2003, Mekhla has been living without electricity and her apartment resembling a dungeon. Neighbours who pitied her, helped her occasionally with personal hygiene, but Mekhla would be too depressed to care.
Society chairman Ajay Sharma said, “She would beg for tea, soap, shampoo from neighbours in the 35 flats.” Her estranged husband however had made arrangements with a local caterer who would provide a tiffin service to Mekhla, and would pay Rs 2,000 monthly charges,” said Sharma.
Mekhla would have continued to live in the shadows, slowly fading away, had not her condition taken a turn for the worse. A few months ago, she began screaming in the dead of the night, scaring and annoying her neighbours. News reached a local journalist who then contacted Gopalakrishnan.
Mekhla will be at the centre for at least three months after which the NGO hopes, her family from Kolkata will take her away, to give her the love and care she deserves. Her exhusband too has promised to stand by her.
At the centre, washed, cleaned and helping herself to tiny morsels of food, Mekhla spoke to us in clear, fluent English, “I love my husband very much. He will take me back.”
Abandoned by family, woman rescued after 7 years of hell
An advertising professional suffering from schizophrenia, Mekhla Mukherjee had been living in a decrepit flat at Thane without electricity and at her neighbours’ mercy
Ram.Parmar mirrorfeedback@indiatimes.com
Amentally unstable woman was rescued from her Thane flat by an NGO on Monday morning. A post graduate in advertising and marketing from the Xavier Institute of Communication, Mekhla Mukherjee, 35, had been living in extremely unhygienic conditions and without electricity for seven years.
She has been abandoned by her family, including her husband and elder sister, who is a senior entertainment journalist working with an English broadsheet. Her father, Manas Mukherjee, is a retired general manager of State Bank of India, Kolkata, has allegedly not kept in touch with her either.
However, Mekhla is unaware of her own destitute condition, suffering as she is from schizophrenia. When the NGO led by R Gopalakrishnan, tipped off by a local journalist went in to rescue her, they found her in a pitiable state, but blissfully ensconced in the belief that her husband will come soon take her away. The rug which serves as her bed, the broken windows which are a freeway for pigeons, the accumulated faeces and soiled newspapers used to clean up her periods, told a different story.
Mekhla’s ex-husband – he had divorced her in 2005, but she is unaware of this – and his mother were present at the Nallasopara rehabilitation centre where she has been provided shelter. Requesting anonymity since he has now remarried, he said, “We met at a Vodafone call centre in 1998, fell in love and married in 2001 against our family’s wishes. I am a Maharashtrian and she is a Bengali.” The marriage, says the man now working with HDFC bank, ran into rough weather with the arrival of his mother and his father’s demise. “My mother and Mekhla did not get along at all, leading to very ugly clashes at home.”
Apparently, Mekhla also suspected her husband was cheating her around this time. For reasons best known to him, the husband bought a flat in Mira Road, literally dumped her there and continued to live with his mother in a rented apartment elsewhere.
Mekhla’s mental condition began deteriorating, and though the husband paid the EMIs on the flat and all other society charges, he stopped paying the electricity bills in 2003. “I did not want the flat to be forfeited by the bank,” he argued when we quizzed him on this.
Meanwhile, Mekhla’s journalist sister, who stays in Lokhandwala, too had allegedly severed all ties with her in 2001. When we tried to talk to her, she refused to comment, asking us to get in touch with Mekhla’s in-laws instead.
Since 2003, Mekhla has been living without electricity and her apartment resembling a dungeon. Neighbours who pitied her, helped her occasionally with personal hygiene, but Mekhla would be too depressed to care.
Society chairman Ajay Sharma said, “She would beg for tea, soap, shampoo from neighbours in the 35 flats.” Her estranged husband however had made arrangements with a local caterer who would provide a tiffin service to Mekhla, and would pay Rs 2,000 monthly charges,” said Sharma.
Mekhla would have continued to live in the shadows, slowly fading away, had not her condition taken a turn for the worse. A few months ago, she began screaming in the dead of the night, scaring and annoying her neighbours. News reached a local journalist who then contacted Gopalakrishnan.
Mekhla will be at the centre for at least three months after which the NGO hopes, her family from Kolkata will take her away, to give her the love and care she deserves. Her exhusband too has promised to stand by her.
At the centre, washed, cleaned and helping herself to tiny morsels of food, Mekhla spoke to us in clear, fluent English, “I love my husband very much. He will take me back.”
Mekhla’s husband had divorced her, but she is unaware of this
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