Access to one’s inner world is unfortunately a privilege, as conversations around felt pain, our emotional worlds, questions around why we feel a certain way is minimal. There is rarely any thought or value attached to our feelings, they may be felt in different ways, through our body, or in our impulsive reactions, but rarely are they given the space that they deserve. 

Therefore, when we talk about the margins, margins that constitute people who do not belong to the center, do not live a life that is commonly imagined, in terms of having a home, having access to schooling, regular income, knowing that they will get their meals for the day, one can imagine their capacity to access their feelings, feel them, hold on to them. They can sound like such luxuries! 

It may be important to ask- what is it about emotions that one has no access to in the face of such deprivation? Why is emotional health a luxury? Why does one experience a deep disconnect between an individual’s emotional world and their context of deprivation and poverty? Why don’t the two fit? It is, as if, one has to awkwardly and inconveniently look for words to describe and converse with someone who belongs to a context that doesn’t fit with the language of mental health that we have learnt in our structured and formal institutions.

Carrying such thoughts and questions, we attempted to ‘walk into’ spaces or streets that occupy people who are conveniently kept away from mainstream narratives around mental health. Having said that, this was not an easy walk to take. We struggled to think of questions or themes to talk to them about, assuming that they are waiting for us to come with a list of questions that they are going to have to answer. This also, perhaps, speaks of the power dynamic that one imagines entering a marginalized space with, that even the street is not theirs once we are on it. 

However, because we were at a loss of what we can ‘provide’ these individuals with, we decided to take ourselves to their spaces with those questions and apprehensions alive in our minds. We were conscious of ‘barging in’ their space, and therefore wanted to remain close to the experience of being there, and not impose any ‘question’ or ‘theme’ on the setting. Interestingly though, we took along some food packets with us, as food speaks of fulfilling a basic need, and can also perhaps lend a ‘purpose’ to us wanting to be with them. 

Being with them in their space helped us see how the relationship between the ones who are privileged and those who are under-served is already established on certain grounds. It is difficult to lay grounds that can facilitate or allow for a conversation between these two individuals, something that can be beyond their respective positions, and can be about two people exchanging words or experiences. Human beings are often looked at in terms of what they have, and so much is our anxiety around not having enough, that rather than engaging with what that experience may constitute, we want to fill the space with ‘things’ that can be given away. And that is what we saw when we approached individuals on the streets of Delhi; a lot weighed on the receiving of the food packets, and less on the shared experience of eating together, which was understandable, and a learning for us.

This experience has left us with questions and insights that are worth exploring. You may check out this video attached here, to know about our thoughts, and feel free to let us know how you feel in the comments! We connect deeply with this experience, and want to engage with similar thoughts and experiences, and hopefully will be able to share with you all when we can.