Schoolmates give troubled woman fresh lease of life

Forty-three-year-old Prashansha Nagle, who suffers from schizophrenia, had lost her home and parents a few years ago, but 25 former schoolmates pitched in to help rebuild her life after she was spotted living on the streets of Kurla. The group has decided to take care of her medical and as well as day-to-day expenses.

Speaking about their shared past, Deepak Alhat, a former classmate, said, “Prashansha is from the 1988 batch of Kedarnath Vidya Prasarini English high school, which is situated at Nehru Nagar in Kurla (east). We hadn’t been in regular touch after we took our final exam, but I used to bump into her often in Kurla. A few years ago, she had told me that she was shifting to Dombivali. Later, I met her near Mantralaya when she told me that she had lost her parents and home as they were living under the Pagdi system. I helped her a few times when she needed money, but she vanished and I had not seen her for the past three years.”

He added, “Three weeks ago when I was driving near Kurla bus depot I saw Prashansha in a terrible condition. I parked the car and approached her. She recognised me but I found something amiss. She then told me that she was pregnant, which came as a shock. I told her to meet me in two days at the same spot and I would take her to a doctor. She agreed and I left.”

Another classmate, Jaiprakash Parab, said, “When Deepak recounted this meeting, a few of us planned to do something for our friend. We contributed for the next six months of her treatment. We went to her on Saturday last week, but she ignored us. With the help of two Nehru Nagar police constables we finally admitted Prashansha to Sion Hospital. The doctor clued us in on her condition: The good news was she was not pregnant, but only thought she was.”

Recollecting the state Prashansha was in when she saw her, Ashwini Pavaskar (43), another batch mate, said, “I could not control my tears. She hadn’t bathed for days and wasn’t wearing proper clothes. First, we took her for a bath and brought her some clothes. She speaks English fluently and has many great qualities, but unfortunately had been living in this condition due to depression. It’s our duty to help her out now and encourage her.”

Prashansha’s guardian angels have observed positive changes in their old friend. Aruna Lokre (43) said, “We started meeting her every day from the fifth day of her treatment. She was feeling so good that she wrote a few poems on that day. She said she wanted to get a job. The doctor told us that she could join a workplace after a few days.”