Srividya’s Mental Health Journey: Surviving Abuse, Finding Purpose in Healing

OutlookIndia

Srividya, a survivor of childhood abuse and domestic violence.  She has rebuilt her life through mental health work. After a traumatic past, she found purpose and hope at The Banyan. She first worked as a library assistant and now as a personal assistant in the Home Again project. She has trained in community mental health and open dialogue to support others in recovery. Her journey reflects strength, empathy, and deep commitment to healing.  00:04 – 00:19 | Living Beside Death 00:19 – 00:50 | Shadows of School 00:50 – 01:20 | The Peon Incident 01:20 – 01:49 | Silent Suffering 01:49 – 02:17 | Household Chains 02:17 – 02:46 | Early Exit 02:46 – 03:15 | A Marriage of Dowry and Humiliation 03:15 – 03:41 | Selling the Land 03:41 – 04:10 | Neighbours’ Cruelty 04:10 – 04:39 | Exiled to Pallur 04:39 – 05:08 | The Night of Loss 05:08 – 05:38 | The Banyan’s Arrival 05:38 – 06:01 | Reluctant Acceptance 06:01 – 06:31 | Treatment and Recovery 06:31 – 06:58 | Rebuilding a Role 06:58 – 07:28 | No Longer Alone 07:28 – 07:59 | The Ache of Family  Follow us: Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/ X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia  #MentalHealth #MentalIllness #MentalHealthAwareness

Transcript

00:00When I was going on talking like this, I did not know that my mother had expired of heart attack.

00:09I did artificial respiration, everything I did, I was living with her corpse for almost one night.

00:20Earlier, when I was in school itself, I was harassed by my classmates and school seniors, bullying and all that.

00:27They wouldn't allow me to flourish further in any developing step in my school age.

00:34That is, I used to come first in sports, games.

00:38I used to do quite very well in studies, but one of my classmates was very much against it.

00:45So one of my school seniors also were against my coming up in life.

00:52So they harassed me through a pun.

00:55He went from every classroom, he went and finally when he saw a girl, myself in the classroom, he tried to pull my hand.

01:02And my classmates name, I am not willing to say.

01:06He was there with me.

01:08He asked me to run away.

01:10You run, you run, you run.

01:11He had high fever, he asked me to run away.

01:13When I tried to run away, he tried to pull my hand.

01:15That shock was there.

01:18And so for so many years, but I took it as a challenge and studied till 12th standard in front of the pun itself in the same school.

01:30I didn't change the school at all.

01:33I didn't complain to anybody, even not even to my principal.

01:37So not even to my parents or relatives.

01:41Slowly my concentration deteriorated in studies.

01:45I used to get nice marks around 95 and all that.

01:50Slowly the concentration reduced.

01:53And in my native place also, my cousin was not a very good guy.

02:00My metal and uncle and my cousin, my aunt and all, they harassed me for a lot of household work used to be given.

02:10If my college is at 8 o'clock for practicals, they used to send me only at 10 o'clock.

02:14I used to keep on losing practical classes.

02:17When I told them, when I complained to my parents, I complained to my aunt.

02:22She said, no, no, you are a girl, you have to do household course and only go.

02:26And then I came back, I will not study further, they are trying to harass me.

02:30I said, so my parents said, okay, we'll find you apply in kindergarten.

02:36I was around 22 or something when I went to kindergarten as a school teacher, kindergarten teacher.

02:46My father-in-law was not there.

02:48My husband, ex-husband, he was harassing me for dowry.

02:54He compared my schoolmates with me.

02:57My schoolmates, whenever they come to visit me or my college mates, whenever they write a letter, he used to take the letter.

03:03And he used to read the letters and he used to say, this girl should have been my wife.

03:06That girl should have been.

03:07Wherever he goes, to whichever marriage, I went to my friend's marriage.

03:11I took him also and went and he said, I should be sitting there instead of that groom.

03:15Like that, he used to compare.

03:17Frankly, in front of everybody, he used to compare like that.

03:20And I said, I am filing a divorce against you.

03:25I am not willing.

03:26You get married to whomsoever you are willing.

03:29You get married again, I told him and I came off.

03:32My father was a house owner also.

03:34We had land in Kyalambakam also, near Kovalam.

03:37So, we had to sell all that.

03:39I told my father to sell all that.

03:41Because after he passes away, it will be very difficult for us to manage.

03:46So, and when my mother was harassed, I left it.

03:50I sold it to a real estate fellow.

03:52That real estate fellow, what he did was, he gave us house in a very remote area.

03:58One fine day, suddenly, his mind changed, the real estate fellow's mind changed.

04:06He told the neighbors something or what, I don't know, the neighbors came to shout.

04:10They came and shouted at me.

04:12They said, no, no, go back to your husband.

04:14Why are you, my husband is here.

04:18What will he think of you?

04:20Why are you living here as a single woman with your mother?

04:23You have to clear this place or I'll make you clear this place.

04:26Like that, my neighbor said in Chengalpet.

04:29So, I was worried.

04:31Suddenly, what happened, the real estate owner came.

04:34And he said that we are shifting you to Palur.

04:39That is also near Chengalpet.

04:41That place is very, very remote.

04:43Nobody buys a house there.

04:45And it was like a crime area almost.

04:49Palur.

04:50And my mother and myself had no food and water for so many days.

04:56From the electricity board came and removed the fuse.

04:59And my mother had died.

05:01I was going on talking like this.

05:02I did not know that my mother had expired of heart attack.

05:05I did artificial respiration, everything I did.

05:08I was living with her corpse for almost one night.

05:11But I was in a state of shock.

05:14And I was blabbering something, which I myself don't remember.

05:21My neighbor was a very nice old man.

05:24He said, I'll shift you to a phone to Banyan.

05:28People will come.

05:29When they came from the Banyan, she was going on explaining.

05:34Her name is, she is a staff here, Gajalakshmi.

05:38She was going on explaining.

05:39We are from the Banyan.

05:40We will do this.

05:41We will do that.

05:42I was not in a state of mind to accept even that.

05:47I was always thinking of my mother, something or the other.

05:50I felt haunted almost.

05:52So I missed my mother a lot.

05:54And then I said, after they pursued me to think it over.

06:00And then I almost took one day.

06:03I made them come again to the same place.

06:05From Chennai all the way to Palur.

06:07It's very far away.

06:08I made them come all the way again.

06:11They booked a car and they came.

06:13I took my jewelry and everything.

06:16And I went to Mogapir.

06:19In Mogapir, they had a tough time.

06:23Almost two months, I was in Dr. Kishore's medication.

06:31They gave me injections.

06:33They gave me a lot of tablets.

06:35And finally, one day they sent me to Covalum Health Centre.

06:45In Health Centre, I stayed for some time afterwards.

06:47I was shifted to ECRC to stay here.

06:50Now I am living in an independent living setup.

06:55I work as a personal assistant to the clients of the HomeAgain Project.

06:59Having lived in experience, I try to give them an update better than other PAs.

07:08Other PAs come from a normal setup.

07:10I had an experience of this psychiatric illness.

07:16I had psychiatric problems.

07:18So, when I give an update to the higher authorities or to the psychiatrist,

07:25it is easy for them, for me also to recognize, maybe this is the symptom.

07:30Like that.

07:31I don't have loneliness.

07:33Mostly, I have books.

07:35Now, I have Android phone for work and personal use.

07:44So, whenever I get time, I go to Bangalore.

07:47Otherwise, I talk with my relatives.

07:50My friend is there.

07:51She will chat a lot.

07:52And we also have, what to say, FM radio and all that.

07:58And so, mostly we won't feel very lonely.

08:02My only aim was, if I were a housewife, I would have had children and all that.

08:08I miss that family life.

08:11Of course, I definitely miss that.

08:13I miss that.

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