In 1975, Dr. A.D.S.N. Prasad met a patient who would change the direction of his life forever. Manikandan was a three-year-old boy with microcephaly — a condition that left him with a smaller-than-average head size and affected normal brain function.
“His aunt was bringing him for therapy, and she passed away one evening. This child was literally thrown on my lap; those days, there were no centres or homes where I could leave him where he would get the kind of care he needed. I was young and earning well in my profession, so I kept him at my house and continued his treatment,” says Dr. Prasad.
This was the seed from which Pathway, a centre for the rehabilitation and education of the mentally challenged, began. Manikandan was soon joined by Karthik, a nine-year-old with Down’s syndrome. As word spread of this doctor who was treating the mentally challenged, more people began bringing their children. Dr. Prasad began bringing in other specialists to give them the well-rounded care that they needed.
Over the course of nearly 40 years, Pathway has helped close to 20,000 people suffering from various mental illnesses and physical and mental disabilities. It is only fitting that on World Disability Day (December 3), Dr. Prasad talks about the evolution of mental health care in the country and society’s perception of mental illness and mental retardation.
Dr. Prasad says, “People tend to categorise those with mental illness and retardation under the same umbrella. There is a basic difference: mental illness can be treated with medicine while mental retardation is purely a developmental disorder for which they can be treated with therapy, enabling them to live as normal a life as is possible.”
He feels that the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme has mainstreamed these children, making their acceptance in the society easier. “In spite of this, the children must be taken to a specialised care centre for treatment. The earlier therapy is started, the better,” he adds.
Dr. Prasad knows first-hand the kind of stigma that can be attached to a mentally challenged child, if only from within the family itself: “We were seven sisters and four brothers. One of my sisters, Uma, was mentally retarded with epilepsy. She was 31 when she passed away and only then did many of our friends and neighbours even know that she existed. My parents’ concern was about how the news of Uma’s condition would affect the marriage prospects of my other sisters.” He is happy with the fact that most people are no longer ashamed if their child is mentally challenged, but bring them for treatment.
Chandra Prasad, his wife, joins us in Dr. Prasad’s office. She shares the same passion for Pathway as her husband of 31 years. Once their son, Chetan, was old enough, she began focussing on the vocational training they could give their patients.
Pathway children take up furniture production, baking and jewellery making. The idea is to make them commercially more valuable and financially more rewarding. However, there is one thing that irks Sudha Subramanian, director of Pathway. “Many companies haggle with us incessantly about the price. They could think of it as a CSR activity and give us that one or two rupees more. It only helps us provide more opportunities for those who really need it,” she says. Sudha joining Pathway is a story in itself.
She first came across Dr. Prasad in the 1980s when she accompanied her aunt for therapy with him.
“I was very impressed by what he was doing at that young age. Then I finished my studies, and held a high-paying corporate job. But when I turned 40, I came looking for Pathway. I started off as a volunteer, but realised that I could not do justice to both my job and to my passion. I quit, got a degree in special education and have been here ever since.”
Dr. Prasad’s work continues to expand and touch more people’s lives. Talking about their latest project, he says, “On December 13, we are organising the Pathway Excellence awards to honour mentally handicapped people from many organisations. Those who help them get recognition all the time, but who will honour them?”
