Around eight lakh people die due to suicide every year. With such a massive number, a physical disease would have been declared an epidemic. By the time, you read this story, many of us would have taken their life.
It was the night before the last exam of my fourth semester. After reading continuously for almost three hours, I felt mentally exhausted. So, I thought to take a break. To lighten my mood, I logged in to my Facebook account. While scrolling through the newsfeed, I came across an article about depression. Since I had also been the victim of depression, so my right thumb clicked the link instantly. What came next were the scary facts about depression.
Some of which were:-
*Globally, more than 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression.
*Depression is a prime contributor to the overall burden of disease.
*Close to eight lakh people die due to suicide every year.
*Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-29 years old.
*The victim cannot fight with depression alone.
I was terrified from inside after reading the threatening facts. I logged out and silently thanked my sister for helping me fight the deadly disease. I did not feel to continue my study, so I turned off the table lamp, switched on the night bulb, and went to sleep. The facts kept disturbing me, and I tossed and turned all night long in the bed.
The next day while waiting outside the classroom, I saw Ruchi, the girl with whom I had fallen head over heels in love. I waved at her, but she ignored me. I had noticed that she was behaving strangely these days because of her breakup with Sahil.
'Hey, do you know Sahil has dumped Ruchi?' Ankita, Ruchi’s best friend told me.
“Umm….yes, I know,” I replied.
''I had always warned her to stay away from that pig, but she did not pay any heed to my warning and now she is suffering from depression,'' Ankita said.
The moment Ankita uttered the word depression, the haunting facts from the last night started piercing on my mind, especially the last two.
You love Ruchi. I know you do. She said impulsively breaking my thoughts.
'No, it's not true,' I replied stammering.
Oh, come on. Whom are you trying to fool? The whole class knows about it. Moreover, I can see it even in your eyes now.
Knowing that Ruchi was in a relationship with Sahil, I had tried my best to hide my love for her. Some of my friends used to tease me by her name, but I ignored them. However, I could not hide it from my eyes because eyes always speak the truth.
Yes, I love her. I accepted finally.
Then you should approach her. She is going through a tough time and badly needs the company of someone like you.
Yes, I can see it in her gloomy face. She is finding it hard to deal with depression.
Only you can drag her out of depression. I have been trying hard to cheer her but failing miserably. I am afraid; she may take a wrong step seeing the way she is behaving lately.
At that moment, I did not care about my relationship status with Ruchi. All I cared about was to help her fight with depression. Having gone through it, I could understand how much damage depression can cause to a person, and these thoughts haunted me.
Since today is our last exam so after the exam, we will go out for lunch. I know Ruchi will not agree to it, but I will convince her. What say?
'Great! It is a great idea', I replied enthusiastically.
See you after the exam outside the college gate. Good luck! She wished with a big smile.
Thanks! Best of luck! I replied, and we entered our respective classroom.
As planned, we met outside the college gate after the exam. In the cab, she did not utter a single word. However, Ankita tried to initiate a conversation with her, but she did not cooperate. The sudden breakup had made her a stubborn girl. She had already lost her fake friends. Only Ankita stood by her in her tough time. “True friends never leave each other, and that too in tough times.” We reached the restaurant in thirty minutes. It was hard to believe that a chirpy girl like Ruchi did not speak a single word in thirty minutes. In the restaurant, Ankita and Ruchi sat adjacently, and I sat opposite Ruchi.
So, how was your exam? I asked Ruchi.
Good. She finally uttered a word after almost an hour.
What is your plan ahead? Are you going to your hometown for the holiday?
No, she replied, looking towards the window.
Her monosyllable answer conveyed that she was not interested in a conversation. Therefore, after a few questions, I gave up, and we ate our lunch silently. She did not eat much. She had lost a lot of weight within two months. After paying the bill, we parted to our respective flat.
We had a long holiday ahead but seeing Ruchi’s condition, Ankita, and I canceled our plan to visit our hometown. Ankita told me that she had started taking anti-depressant tablets, which was not a good sign. I started spending a lot of time with Ankita and Ruchi in their flat to keep Ruchi busy. Slowly she started taking part in the conversation.
One evening, we were in a society park. I saw her lost in the depressing world. I went beside her, placed my left hand on her shoulder gently, and assured her by blinking my eyes slowly that everything is going to be fine. She looked up towards me with sad eyes but said nothing.
Time flew, and slowly she started to open up with me. Sometimes she would find it tough to sleep and end up being so frustrated that she would burst out crying. I would embrace her and let her feel the oneness. Listening to the rhythm of her heartbeat calming while her chin rested on my shoulder and body wrapped in my arms gave me the hope of healing. I would ruffle her hairs gently and watch her as she finally slept in a sound sleep on my lap.
I knew exercise is a better option to fight depression. So, I told her to do some exercises regularly. She and Ankita joined the society gym. It helped her a lot to heal.
To bring back her faith in love and life was tough. Nevertheless, my love for her had made things easier. I would often ask her to see the shining stars in the sky and tell her that life can be beautiful in darkness too. She had started feeling better and showed some positive outlook towards life. The scars of depression, which had taken shelter under her eyes as dark circles, were vanishing.
Later I found that she loved painting, so Ankita and I forced her to paint. She denied it, but we pushed her, and she finally agreed. As she painted, she felt lively. I could feel the spark of happiness return in her eyes. Slowly she learned the most important rule of love i.e., self-love, and felt in love with herself. Moreover, in course of healing herself, she did not realize when she fell in love with me.
One fine evening she called me, and we went on a dinner date. Surprisingly she proposed to me there and thanked me for helping her in healing. I was happy to see her happy, and my happiness doubled because of her proposal. I could not control myself and hugged her tightly. She started crying, and this time she shed the tears of happiness and thereafter we lived happily…..
No one wants to suicide. No one wants to stay depressed. It is just that sometimes people find it tough to deal with the uncertainties of life and quit. All we need to do is to extend our love to these depressed people and help humanity shine brightly.