This Article is From Aug 21, 2014

Chained For Years For Being Mentally Ill, They are Finally Free

Chained For Years For Being Mentally Ill, They are Finally Free

Churaman Kaurav and Brajesh finally have a chance at a better life.

Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh: They spent years in chains after they were diagnosed as mentally ill over a decade ago, as their impoverished family members could not afford the requisite medical care.

But now Churaman Kaurav, 65, and his younger son Brajesh, residents of Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district, finally have a chance at a better life, and may be even recovery, with a NGO reaching out to the duo.

Moved by the plight of the duo, a team from Sewa Dham Ashram, a NGO based in Ujjain, has travelled all the way to this village to take Churaman and Brajesh back to their ashram where they will receive proper medical treatment.

Family members of the duo, who had futilely sought help from the administration many times, were forced to keep them tied up as they could not afford their medicines with their meager resources.

"I watched their story on NDTV on Tuesday. It was very sad to see both of them shackled for over a decade.  I could not stop myself from coming to this village to help them," said Sewa Dham Ashram founder Sudhir Goyal.

The NGO has been taking care of mentally ill patients for nearly 25 years. They have assured the concerned family members that they have taken care of many such patients over the years.

For the family members of Churaman and Brajesh, it is a bittersweet moment. While they are relived that the help they have long hoped for has finally arrived, they are sad about bidding farewell to them.

Shivkumar Kaurav, Churaman's brother, told NDTV, "My brother and my nephew have been suffering for years. Hopefully, now they will be cured. Yes, we are feeling bad as they will have to travel to Ujjain for treatment. But we understand that it is for their own good."
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