I’ve heard quite a lot about Shaheen Bhatt and just the name of the author made me want to pick the book and learn something more about her, and I must say while the title of the book did juggle with my mind, the whole book left me impressed, left me wondering and left a little something in my heart that surely wont fade away, EVER!
The world , as happy as it may seem in Instagram and other social media platforms , has today turned a lot sore. I’ve heard quite a lot of people indulging in shaming others in terms of their appearance, their work profiles and most importantly their idea of life and living it. You tend to hide your flaws and try to come out picture perfect, little knowing how void it might leave you feeling.
Shaheen Bhatt, with her book I’ve never been (UN) Happier , has come out unflinchingly real about herself and that’s what makes the book so special.
DEPRESSION , has long been the ‘shush’ word . I’ve heard people calling it as a bad thing and how you should never talk about it. Shaheen Bhatt mentions suffering from mildly depressive phase in her teenage years which turned into a chronic one soon after and how her family , especially her mother – SONI RAZDAN stood by her , patiently .
She quoted in her book – “Being depressed is to be bogged down by a fear of impermanence in a world that isn’t permanent place to begin with. It robs you off the capacity to love. This is because a depressed person is so often incapable of seeing, giving and receiving love.”
I believe Depression is not just a phase , where in you go out and socialise and get rid of it. I believe Depression and Anxiety is not just about being lazy and avoiding people . I believe depression is not something that anybody wants to live with . It’s something that tickles your entire being , it’s something that makes you wonder about life and about death, little knowing the meaning of any of them and still searching what they both mean. Depression is something that makes you want to just jump out of it and feel what’s living naturally like , often forgetting that DEPRESSION is itself NATURAL . Shaheen managed to inform people how it actually is like by citing her real-life example and there is nothing more brave than that.
Living with depression is not easy and living with a soul who’s suffering from depression isn’t easy either. It’s time , we understand, we learn , we educate ourselves and be more polite to the idea of Depression, and not just wave it off calling it a silly phase of life. It’s time we learn how not to disapprove people of their shortcomings and encourage and accept them for who they REALLY ARE.
If you are unaware, Shaheen Bhatt is Alia Bhatt’s real sister, and Alia’s response to the book is yet again a thing you’d not want to miss, just like this book. Watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVJ_2fzryps
Buy the book here :