A group of cancer survivors walked the ramp on Sunday. In the audience were their family members and doctors. The venue was Nabadiganta in Kestopur in northeast Kolkata — a home for the ‘mentally unstable’.
Around a dozen inmates of the home were also part of the audience. The objective of the soiree was to celebrate the spirit of the cancer survivors and raise awareness about mental health issues.
One of the participants in the fashion show was a 26-year-old woman from Aizawl. She was diagnosed with bone marrow and upper abdomen cancer in 2017. She had to undergo 23 chemotherapy sessions at a private hospital in Kolkata the same year.
Now, she has to come to the hospital for a check-up once in every six months.
On Sunday, she walked the ramp in a Puan, a colourful wrap-around, considered the traditional Mizo dress.
“Cancer is not brushed under the carpet. But mental health issues are. I took part in the programme because I think we should raise awareness about mental health issues,” said the woman, an interior designer.
Sunday was her ramp debut. “I was both nervous and excited,” she said.
The programme was organised by the Lions Club of Kolkata Magnates. It was held in collaboration with the Nabadiganta home, which shelters around 25 “mentally deranged” people, most of them senior citizens. The keepers at the home look after the inmates — from giving them medicines prescribed by doctors to giving them companionship.
“They were normal individuals, following various walks of life. But they lost mental balance after one or a series of incidents that left them deeply traumatised,” said a patron of the home.
“They were not discarded by their families. It was their family members who left them here because it became difficult to keep them at home. But they pay for their wards and check on them regularly,” he added.
In the run-up to Sunday’s programme, the participants trained for a week at a home in New Alipore.
The programme started with a game session, where the participants took part in musical chairs, passing the ball and dart throwing. It was followed by a musical session and the fashion show.
“We want to celebrate the fighting spirit of the cancer survivors and raise awareness about mental health issues. In the end, we want to spread the message of togetherness and unity in diversity,” said Sujata Chatterjee, a doctor and programme director of the Lions Club of Kolkata Magnates.