Woman biker on a mission against depression

NOIDA: Leaving her six-month-old baby with her parents, Sana Iqbal started her solo cross-country bike trip on her white Royal Enfield in December last year. On a mission to spread awareness against depression, the 28-year-old started her solo journey from Goa and reached Noida on Friday, crossing eight states and travelling 14,000 km.
After surviving through a phase of depression, Sana is on a nationwide tour to counsel depressed youths.She said her journey is a combination of her passion and experience of her recovery from depression. She met with the Royal Enfield club in Noida after reaching here from Delhi on Friday. Sana, who belongs to Hyderabad, went through a lot of ups and downs in her life. She herself had a phase of depression before meeting a group of bikers and getting hooked to bike riding. "Biking healed me from what I later came to know was a phase of depression," she said.
Identifying herself with youths across the country going through depression, she planned the solo cross-country trip to all 29 states and Union territories to inspire and counsel such youths. Some of them are struggling with depression and are even on the verge of opting for extreme steps, her journey she said, is to bring them back to life.
People usually get depressed over small things and even exhibits suicidal tendencies. "First they get upset over silly things. Then they feel irritated and frustrated, and this soon becomes a habit. This leads to depression and sometimes suicide," she said.
"Suicide is not the solution," said Sana, who also runs a Facebook page with the same name. The page has over 7,000 likes. "People should not take permanent decisions based on temporary emotional problems," she said.
"Riding across the country alone was not an easy decision, especially while having a baby of six months," she said. Her mother advised her against it, saying its a "man's job" but she remained firm on her decision. Her works started getting noticed soon after she began her journey. "People now appreciate my work and it gives me great satisfaction. Now, my parents also support me," she said.
Sana usually leaves her baby with her parents when she goes for a bike trip. Her both parents - Iqbal Ali and Shaheen Khan - are lawyers.
She said she had never faced any unpleasant experiences during her 14,000-km-long journey. Roads are safe for men and women alike, said Sana, who wants to "make happiness contagious."