A rose plantation drive was organised at Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS) on Saturday, which, in future would help the inmates in occupational and nature therapy.
A total of 150 rose saplings, donated by the staff of the institution were planted on the occasion and the area will be developed as a rose garden where the inmates would get a chance to heal better.
Senior consultant Neuro psychiatrist at RINPAS, Dr. Siddharth Sinha said, “There are a number of inmates from the rural area who come from agricultural background. These inmates will be involved in the work of taking care of rose garden.”
He added, “This will provide two benefits to the patients. The first benefit will be that they will feel more at home when they are involved in doing something related to their occupation and it will help them in healing. The other benefit is that involving them with horticulture is providing vocational training to them so that once they are fit and leave the institution, they will be able to adjust with the society and be self-dependent.”
Dr. Sinha pointed out that as rose, being a beautiful flower, is loved by all, including the mentally unfit people, this rose garden will also help the inmates de-stress.
“Under nature therapy, the inmates can visit this garden, work along with those undergoing occupational therapy, spend their evenings in the rose garden, soaking in the beauty, which will help them de-stress and get away from their psychological trauma,” he said.
The plantation drive was inaugurated by the RINPAS director, Dr. Subhash Soren and is the brain child of deputy director Abhishek Srivastava.
“This plantation drive will not just help the inmates but also brought together the staff of the institution who got together to arrange for and donate the saplings,” Srivastava said.
The area where the rose garden has been set up was earlier an unkempt flag hoisting ground. As the institution has a huge vacant area, there are plans to use the remaining such places to grow gardens as well.
Dr. Sinha said, “Occupational therapy has proved to be very effective in treatment of psychiatry patients, who not only benefit from being engaged in a job, but it also is crucial to help them connect to the normal ways of life. It is like conditioning them for the world outside.”
