Dwij Puraskar: 'Life Reborn' Awards

Salute to Recovery, Tribute to Mental Health

WHO has recently proposed that mental health is 'a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community'. Although we think of these parameters applying easily to 'normal' people, we very rarely apply these criteria to someone recovering from mental illness; particularly severe and chronic mental illness, such as psychosis, or a mood disorder.

We thought it was high time we acknowledged that the recovering mentally ill are in a sense stronger than 'normal' people, those who have never suffered the indignity of having their mind invaded by chemical imbalances they cannot handle without help which disrupt not just their health, as it happens in chronic physical illness like diabetes or asthma, but their entire life. Their interpersonal relationships, their work life, their inner world, creativity, everything is tainted by the mental illness. And to top that, there is the social stigma of 'paagalpan' to deal with.

The stigma takes different forms, depending on the context. However, two distinct sub-categories emerge; subjective feelings of stigma even in the absence of any actual discrimination, and stigma in the context of overt discrimination by society and its members.

Dwij Puraskar
In an effort to hasten this process of de- stigmatization, IPH, Thane, a social enterprise working in the field of mental health for 20 years, proposed the 'Dwij Puraskar' in association with USV.

is a leading health care company with the following areas of focus: Generics, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Bio-similars. 67% percent of our business is contributed by the India operations and the rest by export of APIs and Generics.

USV is a 48 year old health care company which began as a joint venture with USV&P Inc a subsidiary of Revlon.

Their product range consists of Generics, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Bio-therapeutics that are manufactured in their modern cGMP compliant manufacturing facilities located in India.

USV approached IPH to give something back to the Society which has nourished and developed this company. They underwrite the entire cost of Dwij Puraskar awards.

This was the second year of the awards. From next year i.e., 2010, Galaxy Surfactants have graciously decided to add 3 more awards to existing ones. The rationale of Dwij Puraskar
Role models of recovery: The awards shall be presented to individuals who are recovering (or have recovered) from mental disorders, who shall then be presented as role models of recovery. We want to highlight the fact that they had the strength to break the shackles of stigma and seek help. Similarly, the selected caregivers or mental health professionals too had the courage and perseverance to do the same.

Dwij - The Name
The Sanskrit word "dwij" was first used in Atharva- veda to mean indoctrination in the civil society through acceptable procedure (sanskara). Manu, in Manusmriti, uses it to define the state after " thread ceremony" and in Mahabharata the word is used to mean educated individual acceptable to honourable men (Arya).

'Dwij' literally implies 'a life reborn.' It has been conventionally used to denote the 'two births of a Brahmin' - before and after attaining knowledge. In the same vein, it also implies the life of a bird inside the shell and a life with wings. Taking from these sources in Sanskrit terminology, the name here implies the recovery from the disorder and starting a 'new life.' The awards are a salute to the human spirit and its resilience and will to improve.