Mohit Seth is a very versatile person with a keen interest in the Delhi Metro and is up to date on all their activities. He has helped a lot of politicians in various capacities in canvassing during elections. He is now self-employed.
When Mohit Seth first walked into Sambandh, we were not quite sure about whether we were equipped to deal with his challenging behavior. He comes across as a very over-powering personality.
At the age of 46 he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
In his words
“My recovery journey started when, one day my aunt and cousin sister took me to Sanjivni Society for Mental Health, back in 2014. It helped me to gain confidence but I still yearned for someone who could believe in me. One day my counselor at Sanjivini suggested that I go to Sambandh Health Foundation in Gurgaon.
I searched for them on Google and called the Sambandh office. I became a member with them. I would travel from Faridabad to Gurgaon every day by Metro. I was assigned a case coordinator with whose support I identified my goals for the first time in my life. I found Sambandh the place where everyone listens to members (people like me). Sambandh believed in me and gave me space to do what I like to do and supported my accomplishments. One thing which I like most about them, is that during lunchtime everyone sits together to have lunch where members and staff have interesting and funny conversations. I enjoy that a lot.
Slowly, I started to participate in outdoor activities, community kitchen, and street play. In 2016, I developed soft skills and IT skills with the help of their staff team. I learned to use e-mail and social media. These skills boosted my confidence.”
Mohit is very resourceful. One day he said to us ‘the road in front of Sambandh desperately needs repair. I can have that done.’ We thought he was just boasting. Three days later the broken road was repaired and he revealed that he had achieved this with a series of social media messages to the relevant people in the municipal corporation.
He used to keep talking about bringing in donations but never did. One day we light-heartedly challenged him to ‘walk his talk’. In the next month and a half he had raised a substantial amount in donations.
Sharing his recovery journey is what he has to say
“I started exploring employment options but could not succeed in my initial trails. One day Rita at Sambandh asked me about my interests. I told her that I want to do my own work. I joined a training programme on ‘Wax Candles &Diyas Fancy items’ at Blind Relief Association, Nizamuddin, New Delhi with the help of my aunt Mridula Seth.
After that training I started my own business. I made wax candle, diyas, and fancy items; with support and encouragement from my mother Veena Seth and others in my family, I would sell these items through orders and exhibitions at various places. I started to put up stalls in ‘Diwali Mela’ at Lady Irwin, Deshbandhu, Kamla Nehru, Gargi College, and Lady Shriram College.
Earlier this year, I had put up a stall by myself at the ‘Hunar Haat’ an initiative by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. After my experience there, I registered myself for ‘HunarHaat’ which takes place across the country in Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jaipur, and Dehradun. It seems like a dream come true. I am earning independently. I cannot express my happiness in words but I want to express my gratitude to Sambandh and my family who believed in me and always support me. Thank you so much all!”!
He now drives his mother to the market for her weekly shopping and is constantly learning new life skills.
His aunt who takes a keen interest in the Family Self Help group at Sambandh, has through conversations with other families and attending the educational sessions there, has become a major source of empowerment for him.
By drawing appropriate boundaries and being able to see him as a person with aspirations like the rest of us, we helped him open up the doors for himself to realize his dreams. The effort was all his.
We wish you the very best Mohit Seth for your efforts which are tireless!