Prayers are my strength: Indira Goswami

I went through depression and even took sleeping pills. With time, my depression became so acute that I lost interest in studies

Without spirituality my life would be a vacuum. For me spirituality is more important than religion. I devote about half an hour every morning for prayer. I thank God for all that He has done in my life. And I ask Him to help me understand the many blessings in my life.

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I attach the importance of prayer even to my work. I write to relieve my stress. My writing is a kind of meditation. It gives me peace of mind.

Even as a child I was exposed to religious practice because of my mother. I remember how my mother would guide me to pray regularly. That's why even today I feel the presence of a spirit around me. My prayers have been my strength and they have helped me through all my ups and downs.

Prayers have rescued me from a near-nervous breakdown and personal tragedies. My father died when I was a seventh grade student at Pine Mount School in Shillong. I was shattered because I was very close to him. My family members were cooperative but I could never get over the loss. Then three years later, I lost my uncle (father's younger brother). I was very attached to him too.

I went through depression and even took sleeping pills. With time, my depression became so acute that I lost interest in studies. There were times when people started saying all sorts of things. I held on to my prayer even then.

At 24, I married a civil engineer from Karnataka. The marriage did not last. I became a widow. It was in Kashmir that he died when he was working. People say it was an accident but he was killed. You can't imagine my mental condition. I went through a lot of turmoil; today I sometimes wonder how I managed to live through it all. Whenever I have thoughts of committing suicide, I always turn to praying and immediately I feel strong.