Depression Is a Luxury in India

It is only when celebrities commit suicide that people become experts on social media

A young Indian man- handsome and smart, talented and rich, kind and witty, cheerful and vibrant- committed suicide today. Many hearts broke, Whatsapp statuses became static video-like, as many people were posting the same pictures.

Yes, it is indeed sad. A young and promising Indian actor is found hanging in his apartment in one of the posh areas of Mumbai. I was shocked when I heard the news- the imagery of it in my mind shocked me. A life lived too short. A life too perfect is wasted. The culprit? Depression! People are getting emotional on social media, they are talking like experts on Mental Health and Depression. I derived a conclusion-

Depression is a luxury in India!

Sushant was his name, a stunning actor who mainly acted in Bollywood films. I liked his personality, he was well mannered, educated, smart and talented. He did not have any godfathers in the industry and yet he made a name for himself. He was not a superstar, but he was something. He had a good debut and performed in a bunch of memorable roles. It is not every day you find a highly educated person in the movie industry- he scored a whopping Rank 7 in All India Engineering Exams, but his passion for Cinema scored more!

With all due respect to him, I am saying this again- Depression is a luxury in India.

Because it is only when Celebrities commit suicide that people become experts on Social Media.

It sickens me. If you want to do the right thing for the sake of your love towards your favourite actors who have committed suicide, start taking it seriously. Look around yourself — your mother could be going through depression and you would not know. In India, Depression somehow has a connotation for ‘only limited to celebrities’. For common people, it is just ‘abnormal’ or ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’ or ‘nutjob’.

People are afraid to speak about it, the eerie mist of strange thoughts that loom around on top of their minds. Because in India, such thoughts can make you stigmatized. If you tell your parents, they will ‘Sshh’ you, because they are scared that you won’t get any worthy proposals for ‘arranged’ marriage.

I envy celebrities, not because they have everything, but because they have the luxury of sympathy or empathy or the respect that they get for falling into depression. But I also pity them, because Depression is not sparing anyone!

Sushant- you were a wonderful actor, a great human being and a philanthropist. You will always remain in our hearts. I hope that you will find peace at the other end. I also hope that this will be a turning point for real change. Rest in Peace!