The term “mental health” is taken negatively especially in the Nepalese context. The biggest reason to worry about is that mental patients are isolated and even boycotted from society for no valid reasons.

There is a tendency to ignore the mental patients in our society. Even my mother dislikes my interest in studying psychological matters despite my immense desire to broaden my knowledge in this field.

She opines that studying psychology is just pointless. However, this is not the case. Tragedies, failures, disappointments, heartbreaks, unemployment, financial difficulties, broken relationships, prolonged illness, drug addiction, etc yield to depression and anxiety disorders.

Many mental patients hesitate to reveal their desperate situation due to fear of narrow-minded perception and belief of the people of our society. The patients suffering from anxiety disorders, psychological disorders or any sorts of trauma need amicable and conducive environment.

On the contrary, they are neglected and even abused. They are treated like slaves. Even so-called educated ones take this issue as fun. This is really embarrassing. The mental patients, if treated properly via modern technologies and the sense of humanity, can be cured.

For this to happen, negative ideologies and beliefs regarding the mental patients ought to be totally abandoned. I have seen a man from my society being fully recovered from serious tragedy after his mental illness was successfully diagnosed.

Earlier, his beloved had betrayed him. Only via love, care and affection will it be viable to create a discrimination-free environment.

Sanjog Karki, Tansen

Action

Apropos of the news story “House panel seeks action against erring CAAN officials” (THT, October 24, Page 11), this is long overdue but belated action is still welcome, which is better late than never.

During the early days of mushrooming private airlines, it was common knowledge that various government servants and then RNAC employees worked together to craft new airlines with funding from local ‘sahujis’, including a ‘gundpak’ trader.

The early days also brought comic tales of an engineer with legs in two boats apprehended for his nocturnal foray into the airport hanger to illegally ‘remove’ engine from an Avro aircraft to use in his private master’s plane.

Understandably, the reputed airline disowned the engineer and his ‘wilful action’ as his own private design. But for the Sakunis in the airlines landscape, NAC, which once ruled the roost in the Nepali skies, would have been in an enviable position today. NAC can still become a premier domestic airline.

Along with new Airbus, it will be good if it can procure 100-seater planes to service the growing passengers in the domestic trunk routes.

But first it has to rid itself of ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ who try to compromise the image and service of the national carrier to serve their own personal or petty interests.

Maybe a case of criminal sabotage or trade treason could scare them off.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu