First impression report by Ms. Chloe Scott

Ms.Chloe Scott

Sambhali First Impressions Report

I arrived in Jodhpur at about 10 am after an overnight train journey from Delhi. My first encounter with the girls was as they arrived at Sambhali for the day. As I sat with Govind and Casey, who gave me an introduction to the project and its work, they wandered past us on their way upstairs in small groups, waving and smiling to me. Later, after the girls’ morning prayer and meditation, I was taken upstairs for a proper introduction. Sat in rows, the girls stood up one by one and introduced themselves. As I am terrible with names usually, I felt slightly daunted by the task of learning almost 40 names in one day! But as I soon discovered, things at Sambhali are relatively relaxed, and my first few days was spent sitting, talking and just generally making myself at ease with the girls.

The language barrier was not the problem that I had expected it to be. A small number of the girls speak very proficient English, while most know almost none, and my Hindi was nonexistent beyond ‘Namaste,’ but we managed to get by. Very soon the girls’ individual personalities began to appear and I couldn’t help but feel at home with them. These girls were also desperate to learn, few of them have had the opportunity to go to school, and they were soon clamoring for English lessons. I couldn’t help but think how grateful these girls would be for the opportunities that are available to every child in the UK, but are so often unwanted there.

The girls and women at Sambhali have been born into the least desired situation in India. Not only are they ‘Dalits’, or ‘Harijan,’ meaning ‘Untouchables,’ they are also women. These two factors make life appallingly hard, yet I have never heard them complain about their situation. Sambhali is a refuge for them and although I am not here for very long, I hope that I can make a difference to the lives of the young women here.

Dhaku Devi: 22^nd June 2008

We (Mr. Rathore and Miss Scott) visited the village of Setrawa to assess the condition of Miss Dhaku Devi. On arrival we found the young woman tied to a tree approximately 3 meters from the family home. She had no water or food, and the shade provided by the tree was insufficient to protect her from the heat. She was chained to the tree by a very short, linked chain. She was unable to move more than 30 cm away from the tree itself. We were informed that she is rarely unchained and has been ‘living outside’ for almost four years. She sits in her own waste, and is washed and dressed by her mother. We were given a brief family history by her mother and grandmother, and a description of the events that led to her chaining to the tree.

Dhaku is married to a man named Papu Ram, and approximately four years ago, aged seventeen, she gave birth to a baby girl. After about five days of strange behaviour, her actions became violent and erratic. We were also told that she had suffered a series of fits. Her family took her to the Mahatma Ghandi hospital in Jodhpur where she was sedated for about three weeks. The family told us that when their funds ran out Dekhu was discharged in to the family’s care with the advice to take her to a witch doctor. Her parents have no medical records or a formal diagnosis of their daughter, although the described symptoms seem similar to Post-Natal Psychosis. In the care of her parents her erratic behaviour continued, and after three weeks in hospital Dhaku was no longer willing or able to feed her baby. We were told that the baby had died aged about six weeks, but whether this was in hospital or at the family home was unclear.

Rejected by her husband and his family, Dhaku remained in the care of her family, primarily her mother, Puro, grandmother, Rangu, and sister Radhu. Her father, Champaram is said to be distressed at his daughter’s condition and unable to cope. Her husband last visited about three months ago, for the first time since the illness became severe, in order to sever all ties with his wife. Her mother, Puro, told us that Dakhu is chained to the tree because that is the only safe place for her. Inside the family home she is destructive and lashes out at her younger siblings, (three sisters and four brothers,) and parents. We were told that, if left unchained, Dhaku will run off; either into the desert or to the Setrawa bus station, where the family believes her to be a danger to herself and others.
While her outward demeanor was cheerful and welcoming during our visit, her conversation consisted of comments about death and mutilation. At no point in this visit was her ‘violent behaviour’ witnessed, despite there being numerous factors that she could have found distressing, (a relatively large crowd, people taking photographs, etc…). When given food by her mother she became difficult, but not aggressive. When handed bread she proceeded to bury it, dig it up, and eat it, even though it was covered in sand. On being given a small plastic wrapped sweet she proceeded to eat the sweet and the wrapper. Clearly unable to look after herself, and a burden to her family, who are unable to give her the proper treatment that she so obviously requires, it would be a great relief to everyone involved if Dhaku could be hospitalized, diagnosed and treated correctly.

Chloe Scott 22^nd June 2008

Dakhu Devi Update 24-28^th June 2008

Dakhu was taken to Jodphur’s Goyal Hospital at 4pm on the 24^th of June. She was taken to the Emergency Room but was seen very quickly by a psychiatrist. The initial diagnosis made by the psychiatrist was Psychosis and Acute Excitement, and Dakhu was immediately admitted for five days of provisional treatment.

She has a shared room on the third floor of the hospital, with a bed near the window. After almost four years of living outside, it is understandable that she wants to see trees and breathe fresh air. Her treatment, which consists of sedation, shock therapy and general rehabilitation, is going very well and she has made a huge improvement. Today, 28^th June, the doctors recommended another five days treatment in order to maintain her improvement. Until now, her hospital stay has been personally funded by Mr Rathore, with drugs donated by the hospital. Today a donation was made by a doctor at the hospital that will allow Dakhu to remain there for the next five days.

Her improvement is both dramatic and touching. While she would previously display little understanding of situations, she is now almost fully aware of what has happened to her and where she is. Her mother and father are staying with her in the hospital to supervise her care. Her husband has also visited her, and so there may be discussion of a reunion.

Dakhu Devi Update 3^rd July 2008

Dakhu has completed her initial stay in the Goyal Hospital, Jodhpur, and has returned to her parents house in Setrawa in order to continue her recovery. She is currently taking Anti- Psychotic drugs in order to stabalise her condition. She will receive regular checkups from doctors at the Goyal Hospital.

Good Wishes from those who have heard about Dhaku’s situation:

“Good luck for the future and lets hope she has one now!”

“Dakhu is surely blessed that you were sent her way and you will surely be blessed too with this wonderful opportunity. Pranaams to you and my best wishes for Dakhu's recovery.”

“I also hope Dakhu's own family will take some responsibility and help the husband to cope with the task ahead.”

Source: The India Tree 4^th July 2008