Matrika Prasad Devkota was suicidal. Fed up with his life, and in a state of acute depression for over 15 years, Devkota decided he had had enough. Ruminating over how to end his life, he saw an 18-year-old mentally ill boy walking the cold streets of Sinamangal, Nepal, and brought him home.

The chance encounter with the boy, who was rehabilitated after 18 months, helped drive home Devkota’s own calling, to aid mentally ill patients.

“I have struggled with mental illness for very long, and know how it feels when you don’t get the right help at the right time,” said the 43-year-old Devkota, a patient of unipolar depression for over two decades.

Enthused by the fact that he could help bring back people from the brink of despair, Devkota set up an organisation called Koshish in Nepal. Five years later, with Koshish soldering on in its efforts to break the stigma surrounding mental illness, Devkota’s efforts were realised by a Belgian organisation.

The Nepalese founder of Koshish has bagged the Dr Guislain ‘Breaking the Chains of Stigma’ award, which includes a cash prize of $50,000 (around Rs 30 lakh), for his tireless work to empower those suffering from mental illness.

Koshish also serves as a lobbyist on behalf of those suffering from mental illness, and seeks to improve policy and public perception surrounding the condition.

For Devkota, the initial years were not easy. With siblings that walked out, since they could not offer any financial or emotional help, Devkota and his parents “lived in utter starvation for several years.” That did not stop him from bringing home utter strangers.

Like the 54-year-old mentally unstable woman, who was roaming the streets after being expelled by her children. The woman was rehabilitated in four months.

Realising that he could help similar patients, Devkota decided to go back to studies after a gap of 19 years, in order to get a decent job. His first task was exhorting 400 students in his class to shell out Re 1 a day, to help the people roaming the streets of Kathmandu.

That year itself, in August 2008, Koshish came into being, urging the authorities to move from “exclusion to inclusion of mentally ill patients, in order to provide them social health, and respect and dignity,” said the award winner. The award is a joint initiative of the Dr Guislain Museum in Ghent, Belgium, and Janssen, the research division of Johnson & Johnson (J&J).

Both organisations cater to the field of mental illness, research, treatment and education.

“All types of mental illnesses are devastating. Reducing the stigma is of prime concern and getting people to come out of the shadows is the first step,” said Srihari Gopal, Senior Director, Janssen of J&J.

Patrick Allegaert, Artistic Leader of the Dr Guislain Museum, told Business Line , “We use modern art and folk art, books and literature to present an overview of mental heath. We are based in Belgium, where the Museum addresses the history of psychiatry in a permanent collection.”

Dr Guislain Museum was founded in 1986 by the Brothers of Charity, in memory of Belgium’s first psychiatrist Joseph Guislain. .

> amritanair.ghaswalla@thehindu.co.in

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