“The Banyan” is the vision and crusade of two young women, Vandana Gopikumar and Vaishnavi Jayakumar. The idea behind “The Banyan” started while they were still in graduate school, some 13 odd years ago in Chennai, with the sole mission to restore hope and dignity to homeless women with mental illness. They saw this invisible minority of brutally battered, bruised,  physically and sexually abused women, eating out of garbage bins and with no place to call home. They first started by renting a three bedroom house “Adikalam” as a transit home and rehabilitation center and very firmly put the homeless women with mental illness back on Chennai’s social agenda. Now Adikalam houses around 400 women in a three storeyed facility in Mugappair in Chennai. These ordinary women, whose cause is not so ordinary, won the Aram Award, 2007, which is instituted by Shriram Ilakkiya Kazhagam, a literary wing of Shriram Group.

Could you explain The Banyan to my readers who might be new to your organization?

“The Banyan” began twelve years back as a humanistic response to restore hope and dignity to homeless women with mental illness. Our mission is to enable a meaningful life for people who have lost everything – their home, family, livelihood and identity – due to the devastating effects of mental illness and poverty. “The Banyan Model” is based on a paradigm of health rather than on a model of pathology.

We work with “people”, with “clients” – not “patients”. This movement began in 1993 out of a small three bedroom rented apartment that sheltered and cared for women rescued from the streets of Chennai.

Where and how did the seeds of The Banyan get planted?

We registered “The Banyan” as a Trust in 1993 with an idea and a firm belief that nothing is impossible and that every human being on this planet is entitled to a life of dignity. I had then just finished my Master’s in Medical and Psychiatric Social work and Vaishnavi dropped out of her MBA to join me. We rented a three bedroom house which became our care and rehabilitation center, providing shelter and transit home for homeless women with metal illness.

What prompted you to take action and initiation in your hands rather than looking for a temporary solution or passing the problem down the line?

Primarily a sense of responsibility, not wanting to pass the buck. Being young and passionate helped as much as the need for the challenge. Seeing the issue of neglected women abused and raped, a sense of utter hopelessness seeped in and there was no choice but to do something about it.

I understand The Banyan started with a three bedroom house, Adikalam. Could you share any anecdotes or stories that show the initial struggle either with logistical issues, monetary or organizational issues?

There were days when there was no money for food. We had to resort to begging and borrowing from people. There was this one day when we had just Rs 3.50 and 13 mouths to feed, then there were other times when we would not have money for petrol to go and seek support. Then came the issue of 100 residents and just 3 bedrooms to house them in and provide care and rehabilitation. Those were difficult days with numerous challenges.

Having said that, challenges, good times and bad times are part of life, so we accepted it in our stride and kept moving with conviction and trust in our values.

Did you or Vaishnavi Jayakumar ever have to face any negative social or family pressures? If you did, how did you face it and resolve it?

We did not face any pressures from family. They were very supportive in our endeavor and cause. As far as I remember there were no negative social pressures really. What we faced was more of a dismissal of intent and sometimes questioning of the intent. Social pressure thereafter was, more to conform to the stereotype of a social worker.

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