A lot of us have been bullied in school or college for something or the other; but it eventually stopped. Sonia Handa, too, was bullied and mocked for being bald. In her case, because the bullying went on incessantly, Sonia dove into depression.
Sonia was brought up in a typical middle-class family, who once went for a holiday and fell horribly sick. The entire family was diagnosed with Typhoid. This deadly disease caused Sonia to lose all her hair. For a young school going girl, fitting in, and looking ‘normal’ is extremely important; but Sonia was unfortunately, left looking very different from any of her peers. Her classmates would tease her, and mock her till she was in tears. The bullying even followed her home; her siblings and neighbourhood peers would add to the insults she heard at school. “They use to call me ‘typhoid ganji’, I always remember that,” said Sonia recalling this painful time of her childhood. To this young girl, it seemed no matter where she turned, she would have to face bullies and rejection. This led her into depression and suicidal thoughts.
From a bright, confident student who scored high in her exams, Sonia turned into a lonely, joyless student who couldn’t seem to study well anymore. Looking for remedies for her baldness and treatment for her depression and trauma, Sonia went knocking on all doors. She went to a psychiatrist, who prescribed her anti-depressants, and she went to every temple she could find. Her earnest prayers and cries were not answered. Someone then told her of a place where they found solace in their troubles. “I was not that excited but there was no harm in trying it out,” Sonia remembers thinking. It was a ladies prayer meeting in a church, they were singing hymns. Sonia joined in, trying to follow the lyrics and soon found herself crying; deeply emotional because the words were exactly what she was going through! She felt as though someone had touched her; she felt a peace she had never felt before! Sonia began reading the Bible soon after and was most touched by the words of Hebrews 13:5 ‘I will never leave you nor will I forsake you.’ The powerful words of the Bible made her sickness, her depression and loneliness vanish!
Sonia went on to find a man who deeply loved God and was wonderful to her. Rahul and Sonia had a beautiful family and today she wonders, “What would have happened if I had ended my life, I would have missed all the miracles God did in my life.” Sonia strongly believes and shares the joyful message that every human being is a beautiful creation of God in their own way; and no matter what your troubles, with God there is a new beginning!
