Tag: Ananya Mahapatra
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The legacy of Mercy Street Seekers
Ananya MahapatraNew Delhi, India “In my dream, drilling into the marrow of my entire bone, my real dream, I’m walking up and down Beacon Hill searching for a street sign – namely MERCY STREET. Not there.” —Anne Sexton1 In October 1974, Anne Sexton, the American poet famous for her signature style confessional poetry, committed suicide.…
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Treating thunderbirds
Ananya MahapatraNew Delhi, India The cacophony of the psychiatric ward paused for a moment as a young woman was ushered in by two hospital attendants and her frail, frightened mother. She laughed garishly and cussed in rural vernacular with wild abandon. She spoke in loud unapologetic spurts, like pennies falling out of pockets, and moved like…