Syed Ishtiaque Reza, Editor-in-Chief of GTV & sarabangla.net: “And something inside me just…broke…That’s the only way I could describe it.” Ranata Suzuki defined frustration in this way.
We have just celebrated Eid and are now enjoying the excitement of the FIFA World Cup amidst weather in which our sky seems to be too gloomy. Through the term ‘weather’, I am referring to the most recent adverse societal climate. Immediately after the killing of the book publisher Shahjahan Bacchu, we lost Sumon Zahid who was the witness to the murder of martyred mother journalist Selina Parveen in 1971. He produced evidence in the war crimes tribunal against the killers and was reportedly receiving threats from unknown assailants.
However, police statements and the media reports also indicated that Sumon threw himself under the train. Newspapers and a few television channels also quoted a minor girl and her mother as the eye witnesses but it is still not clear whether this was a case of suicide or homicide. But if we accept that Sumon Zahid killed himself, we must find out why this happened and what prompted him to end his own life who himself made his life through incalculable struggle.
Sumon was a banker and used to work for the most blemished financial institution The Farmers’ Bank Ltd. The bank nosedived due to large scale insider lending and corruption. Sumon, being a senior banker, amassed huge deposits from his near and dear ones who were reportedly putting him under pressure to return their money as the bank was unable to entertain demands of the depositors.
Let police investigate and reveal the real reason before the public but I am thinking at what stage a person can take the decision of committing suicide. Maybe he lost the battle against the most inexorable, silent demon—depression. The suicides and the many accounts of people grappling with depression has made me think of it as the cancer of the soul. It leaves sufferers utterly hollow inside.
Having anxiety and depression is like being scared and tired at the same time. Social media news feed is full of joyous pictures of individuals but it is also a play ground to express frustration. We share joyful moments, we share interesting articles, we engage ourselves in debate on politics, sports, and other issues. But did we ever try to find that there are so many people within our circles who are fighting against depression? In fact, depression in every form (as not all are suicidal), has manifested itself in practically every family, regardless of age, sex, education and economic and social status.
Joblessness among the youth is one of the major causes of young people’s worry. In addition, cruelty, violent video clips shown on television channels and social media are generating frustrations and depressions in large scale in the society. A society, always busy with political rivalry and enmity, cannot actually guide the depressed people towards better alternatives.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression has biological, sociological and psychological aspects as well and affects 300 million people around the world. The reality is that unless any depressed person is suspected of being suicidal, many are often ignored or downplayed. Some remain untreated, undertreated or improperly treated because their loved ones simply do not know who to turn to or what to expect – or whether to be open about it.
Whatever the triggers for depression— stress, trauma, loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, genetic propensities—it cuts across nationality, class, gender and age. Above all, depression needs an empathetic ear. They need medications, psychotherapy, but these are not enough. We have to hear them properly. A depressed person needs both human and financial help.
We are yet to reach a conclusion on Sumon Zahid’s death but this is a wake-up call for all of us to reach out as much as we can. We must talk or listen to the people around us if we come to know that they are depressed. Staying silent is equally injurious to ourselves and those whom we love.
Our time is a news portal