SAMBALPUR: The joy of recalling her past after recovering from mental illness at a rehabilitation centre here has turned into despair for a 46-year-old woman as her family members refused to accept her. Nearly three years back, a mentally unstable Gauri Dash was wandering along the road between Ainthapali and Baraipali here and imploring people for food, when members of a Sambalpur-based social organisation ‘Parichaya’ found her.
Though they tried to know her whereabouts, she had completely lost her memory and could not recollect anything related to her home or family. Subsequently, the members rehabilitated her at Mission ASHRA Ashram, a shelter home for mentally ill and destitute women. Gauri showed steady progress and was completely sound for quite some time now. She later provided information regarding her paternal house to the authorities.
On Friday morning when Gauri was taken to her paternal home at Chiplima in Sambalpur by the shelter home officials, her brothers refused to accept her. Despite counselling, the family members did not allow her into the house. Later, she was taken back to the ashram. Aadi Nanda, a member of Parichaya, said, “Gauri was married and also had a daughter and a son who were reportedly staying at Durgapali. But we could not find anyone in the village. Locals said her son used to work as a priest at Patmeswari temple, but he went somewhere else.”
While the members of both organisations are striving to get justice for Gauri, she is also determined to fight for her rights. Gauri said, “I too have a right on my paternal home and entitled to a share in my father’s property. Not allowing me into my own home is unjust.”