Devoleena Bhattacharjee gets emotional recalling caring for her mother during schizophrenia attacks from the age of 11; says brother’s death led to a phase of depression

Saath Nibhana Saathiya fame Devoleena Bhattacharjee recently opened up about the hardships she faced during her childhood. In a podcast interview with friend Rashami Desai, the actress spoke about taking on responsibilities at a very young age due to her mother’s health issues. She revealed that when she was just 11 years old she would often take her mother to the hospital alone whenever her mother suffered a schizophrenia attack. She also talked about how she slipped into depression when her younger brother passed away. (Photo: Rashami Desai YouTube channel)

When I was in college, my mother often talked about saving money for my future and for my brother’s wedding. I would jokingly tell her to give that money to me instead so I could put it in a fixed deposit and marry someone who gives me the best “interest. I have always believed that when someone’s intentions and determination are strong, God supports them. I also feel that my parents’ good deeds and my father’s blessings are always with me. Slowly, many of the things I once dreamed about started becoming reality. (Photo: Instagram)

From a young age, I had a strong desire to achieve something on my own. Having a home, financial security, a successful career, and a respected name in society were very important to me. That is when I decided that I wanted to work hard, become independent, and build something of my own. I also learned the value of saving and managing money from my mother. She taught me how important it is to plan finances carefully. If she hadn’t saved and planned her investments, raising three children alone would have been extremely difficult. We were very young when my father passed away, but fortunately my mother was working at the time. (Photo: Instagram)

My mom built everything through her own efforts. Today, she even owns three houses. She raised us, educated us, and ensured we completed our studies and settled in life. My younger brother passed away, but she still continued to support the family with incredible strength. When I look at my mother’s journey, I truly see how much a single woman can achieve, even while dealing with illness and many challenges. (Photo: Instagram)

If you look at my mother’s journey, you will see what a single woman has done. My mother is not a normal lady, she has a lot of health issues, especially since my father passed away many years ago. My mother takes at least 18–19 medicines a day. She has diabetes, she has BP, she has thyroid, and she is also a little schizophrenic. Schizophrenia is like an illusion, they feel someone is talking to them. We cannot see anyone, but they feel that someone is there and speaking to them. I was only 11 years old then, and my brothers were even younger. During the first couple of years, I had to take care of many responsibilities at home, even simple things like making sure she ate properly and took her medication. (Photo: Instagram)

In the beginning, I had to mix the medicines in food because she would refuse to take them. No one taught me how to handle all this. No one really taught me how to deal with it. But when children don’t have much support, they grow up very quickly. I grew up so fast that I didn’t even realise when my childhood slipped away. Because of everything happening around me, I also went through a phase of frustration and anger. Sometimes it felt like no matter what I did, it was never enough. There are certain moments in life that leave a deep impact and take a long time to heal. At that age, I was too young to understand that my mother’s behavior was not her fault—it was the illness and the circumstances she was dealing with. Thankfully, as time passed, things slowly started improving. (Photo: Instagram)

Later, our family went through another heartbreaking loss. We were three siblings—I had two brothers—but after some time, my youngest brother passed away. His death shattered me, and I went through a very difficult phase. I almost slipped into depression because it was too much to handle emotionally. As for my relationship with my mother, I truly love her. The anger or frustration I felt earlier was during my childhood when I didn’t fully understand the situation. However, as time passed by things became normal. Now, there is only care and concern for her. Sometimes I may get strict with her, but it is only for her well-being. My mother needs to take medicines for the rest of her life, and if she skips them, I start worrying. (Photo: Instagram)

I never took those things seriously. I always believed that whatever happened inside Bigg Boss was limited to the show itself. That was part of the game, not my real life. Because of this mindset, no one can say that after coming out of the house I held grudges or continued fights with anyone from the show. I never carried those issues outside or spoke badly about anyone. Even when people troll me, if I happen to meet them in person, I simply smile, talk politely, and move on. I just say, “Okay, it’s fine, let it go.” If someone is trolling on Twitter today, it doesn’t mean I need to fight back. Sometimes it’s better to let things go and move forward. (Photo: Instagram)