Sushant Singh Rajput

 

If the soul lives after death, I think Sushant’s soul would die many more deaths looking at what is being done in his name. People, who would have given a rat’s ass about his pains and anxieties, are now jumping up and down in his name as if they are diving and coming up in an ocean. But these waters are murky. And in the fight for the truth of his unfortunate passing away lies the story of how mental illness is treated in this country, especially when politics and crowd wisdom get entangled in such a sensitive topic.

The first thing to remember is that he had Bipolar disorder. This is a serious mental disorder where a sufferer goes through manic and depressive phases in life. It has still not been established that it is genetic but some people have a genetic predisposition to such mental disorders. This simply means that if two people go through the same traumatic period, one of them who is predisposed can get the disorder while the other one will not. Sushant would have had a predisposition and he must have been going through deep pains just because of this problem.

But the problem is not the disorder itself. Bipolar can be controlled by medicines especially lithium, the use of which has been going for more than fifty years now. The problem is the people who may have given him trauma and also the stigma he would have faced in the environment he was living in from people who knew there was something wrong with him. I do not need to elaborate on this too much. People who live with any mental disorder know how important it is to hide it lest those around them know it. For someone who is as successful as Sushant, the pressure would have been great.

When you are sick with a serious disorder, it is not immediately evident to you that life can be good if the problems are controlled. You feel that your world has come crashing down and your career is done for. This feeling is not just because of the sudden depletion of talent but because of the people around you. You have seen mad people being laughed at. You have seen them being ridiculed and discriminated against. You have seen them in movies, in books, all confused and unable to live a good life. You have seen them as murderers, as stalkers, as someone who is a nuisance. This fear of mental illness, which not be only because of the symptoms but because of what the mind and seen and perceived over time can lead a person to take every step to hide it. It becomes something to run away from, something to be ashamed of.

This idea is reinforced by society. Our society is not ready to understand mental illness. A simple case is that of Rhea Chakravarty. It gives me great concern about what people are doing to her. What if she does something as well! It is the same people who give you trauma and laugh at you who are demanding justice for Sushant. If you are so hungry for justice why don’t you give justice to someone who has been suffering from mental illness around you? Someone who has so easily been forgotten and sidelined. Most of these guys don’t even know what mental illness justice means. From what the therapist says, Rhea had been a support for Sushant. If she had tried to help him, it is a terrible thing we are doing to her. Most people don’t give much importance to the mentally ill. Their idea is to let them take a pill and keep away from important matters.

It will be interesting to see what the investigation finds out. The hand of nepotism and lack of meritorious processes in Bollywood may have been the cause. A proper investigation will not only take account of the immediate trauma Sushant suffered but also the trauma he may have suffered in childhood and growing up. Mental illness is complicated and it’s effects have to be peeled off slowly and carefully. Recent research has shown that childhood trauma has a big role to play in serious mental illnesses.

I hope this case does not get mired up in politics and getting at your enemies. A true investigation can fight many superstitions we have about mental illnesses. Given the interest the case has acquired, the effects of a truthful investigation will be immediate and will be the start of a process of giving justice to people who suffer day in and day out. Till then, we can only hope that his soul gets the peace in heaven, something which is deserved on earth.