Ever wondered what grief looks like? What exactly does depression do to your insides? Apart from the melancholy that the face reflects, the troubled waters are deeper than you think. However, the unfortunate part is, depression in India is understood to be a mental retardation and is treated as a societal taboo!
It is also dismaying that a matter so grave doesn’t find mention as much as it should. But things are beginning to look up, thanks to God and celebs like Deepika Padukone and Manisha Koirala who have shared their battle with depression to prove that it is not ‘just in the mind’.
And Kailash Kher’s wife and author, Sheetal Bhan has decided to speak about her silent struggle and it deserves a read. Opening about her childhood, she told Hindustan Times,
“I experienced sexual abuse as a child. Unfortunately, there is no culture of talking about our bodies or good touch-bad touch in our families and society. A lot of turmoil, insecurity and fear grew over the years.”
Diving deeper to find the root cause, Sheetal places the blame at non-existent and defunct systems that does very little to help a troubled mind.
“What went wrong was that we didn’t have a set-up where we can go and talk about our issues. We don’t have anywhere to go if suddenly a child stops talking or gets irritated without substantial reasons. Humare yahan toh bachche pal jaate hain.”
“Our familial ties are as strong as they could be, but we lack the infrastructure where we can go for counselling. You’re taught how to earn money, but never how to be joyful.”
Not just that, the author also revealed when and how she came terms with her demons, including an urge to kill her self.
Having said that, Sheetal maintained that it is her journey that has made her the woman, she is today. She also laid stress on how people should always seek help. “I am alive today because of them. It made all the difference. This also gave me the spirit to fight,” She said before concluding.
More power to you, Sheetal!