Disaster and Mental Health

I express heartfelt gratitude to all the members of Indian Psychiatric Society for bestowing upon me the responsibility of the office of the President of Indian Psychiatric Society. I believe your blessings and guidance will help me to do justice to the confidence reposed in me. I have pondered a lot to select the topic of the customary Presidential-address to be delivered on this auspicious occasion as a foremost duty. I have sought valuable advice of my esteemed teachers and respected senior members of our society. I am thankful to all those who have spared their valuable time to share views with me. In the meantime, my own state was hit by the apocalypse, the worst-ever super cyclone on the 29th of October, 1999 which ravaged the coastal Orissa claiming thousands of lives and leaving millions homeless, helpless, starving, and bereaved. Devastation of such enormous magnitude numbed not only the survivors but also the whole world at large. This disaster that attracted prime attention of global mass media, is just one of the many that have affected Orissa. The super cyclone was preceded by a major cyclone in Berhampur and followed by flood in Bhadrak. Besides Orissa is a favourite haunting ground of natural calamities like famine, flood, fire, cyclone etc. As I have lived through these disasters and seen my fellow-men struggle past the debacles, I believe I can put heart and mindboth to the selected topic.