Sunil Dutt raps "class-conscious" welfare groups

MUMBAI, NOV 7: Noted filmstar and former MP Sunil Dutt, today criticised the so-called social welfare organisations which indulged in fancy ...

MUMBAI, NOV 7: Noted filmstar and former MP Sunil Dutt, today criticised the so-called social welfare organisations which indulged in fancy gimmicks, under the pretext of working for the underprivileged and downtrodden.

Addressing a gathering of eminent social workers after inaugurating the new centre of the Family Welfare Agency (FWA), a social service organisation working for the betterment of the residents of the BDD Chawls at Lower Parel, Dutt said that many social welfare organisations these days, had limited themselves to the“five-star class”of people.

“Some such organisations have become highly class-oriented, making the poor really feel out of place,” Dutt said. Dutt also appealed to the upper classes to be more involved with the problems of the underprivileged.

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“We employ people from slums and other shanty colonies for household work, but never bother to share their feelings. Large families in BDD chawls live in single rooms, and individuals get frustrated as they do not enjoy the freedomto express their feelings. Apart from being victims of social ills like alcoholism, the lack of support from one’s own family and the resultant stress also gradually affects their mental well-being,” Dutt said.

He exhorted FWA workers to involve the masses in their activities, in order to be more effective in spreading social awareness. “A group of people from the chawls could be trained to address minor problems,” he suggested.

Dr Roshan Dastur of the JRD Tata Trust, which has actively worked with FWA over the years, said that while physical handicaps, like blindness, generate sympathy, mental illnesses generally evoke curiosity, repulsion, disassociation and often rejection in many cases. “The mentally handicapped are treated by the family as a stigma, and FWA should teach the masses how to respect them and give them confidence to get adapted to social norms,” Dr Dastur said.

Working at BDD Chawls for the past 48 years, FWA had discontinued its services for the mentally ill some years ago, as thecondition of its earlier structure, from where it was functioning, had badly deteriorated.

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Earlier, FWA focussed mainly on adoption, education and nutritional aid to children, provision of medical facilities and family counselling, but responding to the changing needs of the society, its services were geared up towards more specific target groups like the aged, women, disabled children, mentally ill and their families.

In 1991, FWA amalgamated its services with the Association of the Friends of the Mentally Ill, which was providing day-care services to the mentally ill in BDD Chawls. Its mental health project now includes life skill education programmes for adolescent girls and health education, apart from the welfare of the mentally handicapped. Its future plans include creating awareness in the family, community and schools to help the mentally ill and develop their self esteem and skills to be able to function effectively in the society.