The past couple of months have been like groundhog days for social worker Divya Hariharan. She lost her father last year, and listening to other people’s experiences with loss this year, everything would come rushing back.
“There are moments it is difficult to rationalise the experience,” she opens up, in mental health NGO Sangath’s podcast, Stories from a Pandemic . Conversations with 40 young people from across India, about their experiences of coping with grief and loss, managing productivity, understanding how to prevent suicide and navigating social media, make up this podcast. These interviews were conducted between December 2020 and March 2021.
“I shared my story because I thought it might resonate with others who have experienced the same thing. It was worth putting it out there, given how emotionally unpredictable things have been, and how the pandemic has stretched so many of us thin. I also hope it will raise awareness about the kind of situations you might find yourself in,” says Divya, adding that it was also cathartic for her to speak up.
The podcast switches between the voices of everyday people and experts such as psychiatrists Dr Vikram Patel and Dr Soumitra Pathare, and UK-based clinical psychologist Eleanor Hodgson. It is hosted by Sangath’s ‘It’s Ok To Talk’ programme director, Pattie Gonsalves, a mental health researcher and campaigner.
Even as lockdowns lift in various States, trauma from the second wave will take much longer to heal from. A major determinant of mental health, trauma is characterised by the toxic effects of extreme fear, uncertainty, insecurity, helplessness and grief on the mind, explains Dr Patel. The mental health consequences of surviving COVID-19, particularly of being in an ICU or being ventilated, are long term.
Added to this, is the economic distress. “The increase in psychological distress in the population will inevitably fuel an increase in clinically significant mental disorders, but what worries me even more that this increase will be amplified by the impact of the economic recession, widening inequalities, and continuing uncertainties about future waves of the pandemic,” he says.
For puppeteer Vinay Bhaat, who lost not just his father, but also his livelihood of holding live shows, it became important to have faith — “faith in other people, not just ourselves,” he says in the podcast. “When we had no food at all, we got help with ration supplies. Where I needed money, people helped me out through a fundraiser for my father’s last rites. I even got help finding work.” Vinay kept his chip up and eventually founded his own puppet company, Puppetkala.
The podcast tries to capture voices from different strata of classes and genders, and how each person found their own way of building resilience, dealing with grief and moving forward. “Grief is a universal human experience. There is no one way to deal with it, the most important advice is to allow yourself enough time to do so,” says Dr Patel. “Remembering the lost person, arranging a memorial, reaching out to others to share your grief, getting involved with activities which distract you and bring some sense of pleasure, and always being patient with yourself...” he narrates the things that might help.
The grief isn’t something that will vanish, but with time, it will shift, and make space for memories.
Stories from a Pandemic is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and at www.mannmela.in/podcast
