#off-centre

[yugiokaeri]

Hello, please take this AC style Mafuyu as an offering.

[burtontracks]

Naked 15 – 32

we of the night –

are a little askew

[pinkpanthress]

1 of 365-C-2017

[studyblroyalty]

I tend to buy my grid papers from muji. They come in both B5 and A4 sizes. Hope that helped!

ooh thank you! :-)

[doldriest]

Travel theme: Off-Centre

The Leaning and totally off-centre Tower of Pisa. This photo is part of my Dutch blog post Toverachtig Toscane. My sons had forbidden me to take silly photos, trying to push it back. So my appreciation goes out to the gentleman in the header, for doing this difficult task for me. ;) < check out more off-centre photos @ Ailsa’s Travel Theme Photo Challenge. 

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[textsfromquintoplets]

#328 | Smudge | Off-Centre

[inwincible-mutton-chops]

Omg...Zachary Quinto. I can't stop laughing. FREEDOM THE BI-SEXUAL GUINEA PIG!

[sglit2013-blog]

Off Centre by Haresh Sharma

SALOMA: ...they laugh because we are mental patient, off centre...

VINOD: Off centre? Where did you pick that up from?

SALOMA: [points to the audience] They.

VINOD: [to audience] Did you use that word? [to Saloma] No, see, they say no.

SALOMA: OK, not them, but their brother, their sister, their children, father, mother, friend. Maybe they never say, but they also never scold people who say.

VINOD: Saloma, we are not off centre. We are very centre. We are the core. We are right on target, on the dot, the arrow that slices the apple.

Haresh Sharma’s play, Off Centre touches on the issue of mental illness. The characters Saloma and Vinod are regarded ‘off centre’ as they are ex-mental patients, struggling with social stigma, marginalisation and mistreatment. Sharma confronts the audience directly as seen in the excerpt above where Saloma refers to the audience as ‘normal’ people or ‘centre’, drawing a fine line between the ‘normal’ people and the mentally ill. Vinod’s friends also treated him differently when he went to enrol back into school.

The plot follows a non-traditional, non-linear timeline which I felt was important in this play as it provides the audience with flashbacks of the past eg. the factors leading to Vinod’s breakdown in the army and also the high expectations set by his parents and also himself. Today, some parents still put too much pressure on their kids to achieve and succeed in the ever-competitive society. Too much stress will eventually lead to a mental breakdown.

Additional characters in the play are also important in developing the main characters, Saloma and Vinod, and their experiences with mental illness.

MAK: He is mad. He go to Woodbridge.

SALOMA: I also go Woodbridge-

MAK:-You are not mad-

SALOMA: -And try to kill myself-

MAK: -You are not mad-

SALOMA: -And my hand tremble-

MAK: -YOU ARE NOT MAD!!! YOU ARE MY DAUGHTER! You are mine. You are me...

Saloma’s mother is overprotective of her daughter and refused to believe that her daughter is mad. Despite the fact that her daughter has schizophrenia, she did not want Saloma to take the medicine. Family members of the mentally ill tend to experience social stigma too. These social stigmas that people associate with the mentally ill are one of the main reason why they refused to seek treatment. Even ex-mental patients are treated differently in society as job application forms ask for one’s past mental illness history. As a result, Saloma never got several jobs that she applied for. Vinod too got fired from his job when his boss found out that he was an ex-patient.

Local references such as the void deck, which is an important shared space in the play where Vinod and Saloma met and spoke without the stare of normal people, allows the audience to relate. The use of local languages, such as Malay and Singlish, brings the subject more closer to home and highlights the fact the mentally ill are amongst us here in Singapore and are no different. They desire for - love, freedom, safety, the right to work and live their lives, acceptance of loves ones and society - just like everyone else. Despite so, they still struggle with discrimination and stigma.

MAK: Everybody say I am strong. See her husband die so young. Her daughter become mad. But she still so strong. Mak jaga Saloma. Mak jaga bapak Saloma. Siapa jaga mak. Siapa?

Translation: “Who will look after me?” The question asked in Malay had an agonising tone, which I feel might not be as impactful if it was said in English.

Sharma did not portray a rosy picture of ‘happily ever after’ in the play with Vinod committing suicide to produce a larger impact on the audience. I believe that his goal is to give the audience a wake up call on our actions/inactions that may possibly lead to a loss of life. Vinod needed support from his family which he never got. When Razali, the security guard at Vinod’s block, was absent during the robbery, Vinod felt that he could not trust Razali or anyone to protect him anymore. On the other hand, Saloma’s transformation in the play are mainly due to the three characters - her mum, Emily and Vinod. She became more determined to cure her mental illness and have the courage to integrate back into the society. This shows that peer acceptance and family support are important in one’s mental well-being.