Once, while  travelling by road, I saw a man lying on the pavement. Still a gawky teenager,  I had preconceived and prejudiced notions about several things, so I assumed that the person was dead drunk. As I muttered under my breath, I observed that the man was not exactly drunk. There was froth coming out of his mouth and his whole body was jerking in spasms. I was petrified. I had never seen anything like this before. My first reaction was “Oh! My God. What’s this?” My young mind could not comprehend the situation. Then, I felt a niggle of sympathy. From somewhere deep inside, I realized that what the person was going through had not been in his control. I still did not fully understand what was happening but I prayed for the man and passed him by. I did not stop to help because I was travelling with my parents. I did not stop because I did not know what to do.

Years later, I understood that such a state was called a seizure. In medical terms, it is called epilepsy, a condition caused by a disturbance in the rhythm of the brain whereby a person could lose consciousness briefly, go blank, fall down or even have the spasmodic movements that I saw in that man years ago. Unfortunately, not many people know that there are several types of seizures triggered by several activities. Even watching television for long can cause seizures in some. Apart from that, injuries during birth or after an accident can also cause epilepsy. I was not aware of this earlier or that one in 150 people, suffer from epilepsy. The sad part is that many people are unaware that it can be treated successfully with medication.

To date, people are ignorant of the fact that epilepsy is only a neurological disorder, not a disability, not even a brief spell of ‘madness’ as many people make it out to be. Did you know that many men have got their marriages dissolved on grounds that their wives were epileptic and so, were insane ? It was only in the year 1999 that the Hindu Marriage Act was amended to enable a person with epilepsy to have a legally valid marriage.

Most of us equate epilepsy/fits/seizures with ideas that have been fed to us at home, on television or in the movies. People with epilepsy have been ridiculed and made to smell an onion or a shoe because we  know nothing better. The stigma attached to this disorder is deplorable and when a woman goes through this, it becomes downright unacceptable. I should know because I saw a woman having a seizure right before my eyes!

While coming back home from work many months back, I saw a young woman coming out of a restaurant. Even as I scanned her dress and began to judge how good she was looking, I saw her falter, her until then confident gaze grew blank and she tried to hold on to the arm of her male companion but still fell on the road. Immediately, as if a siren had started, people crowded up to see the woman lying on the road, her body jerking. Some jeered, some commented derisively. Fortunately for the woman, her companion seemed capable of addressing her condition. Even as more people gathered, he shooed them away so that the woman could  breathe properly and freely and then he just let her be  for a while.

The woman recovered soon and was back on her feet albeit with some help. This time, I did not shudder. I was in a hurry but waited. I helped the man to get the young woman off the ground. I helped arrange her dress in order. And then, when she recovered, I left.

Maybe, I would not even recognize the woman if I saw her again. Of course, she would not even remember me. I am not looking for gratitude because I have the woman to thank for something.  At last, my soul is free from the guilt I was carrying from the time when as a teenager, I saw a helpless man in the throes of an epileptic attack and could do nothing to help. This time atleast I stopped. This time, I did not just walk by.

Shail Raghuvanshi is a post graduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has been a freelance journalist for the past two decades. She has worked both in the print and audio-visual media. She loves writing non-fiction, poetry and fiction. She has also worked as Spoken English teacher and her articles have been published in leading Indian dailies apart from various websites. Painting, music, reading and spirituality are her other passions in life.