The story of a non-resident Bangladeshi family establishing and running the famed perfume company Al Haramain and its successful subsidiaries
The decade of 1995 gave a strange turn to my life. I describe that period with the borrowed title of a movie — The good, the bad and the ugly. The good part of it was I got a loving wife and two adorable children and the first award of my life for business excellence. My business expanded, bestowing prosperity upon me. The bad part was that I neglected the work-life balance and as a result, my health deteriorated. But the ugly part was that I suffered acute acidity, back pains, anxiety and depression. Negative thoughts led me to stand at the door of death.
In 1996, I, along with my wife and one-year-old son, had gone to India to attend the marriage of a close relative. On the return journey, a truck unexpectedly hit our car and I underwent a head injury. By God’s grace and immediate medical treatment I survived, but the smash on my head caused a fluid imbalance in my brain due to which I suffered anxiety for the next five years. I was also suffering from other different ailments mentioned above. No medications or therapies were working and day-by-day I became frustrated. Negative thoughts and depression gripped my mind so much that I began thinking about death all the time. The back pain wouldn’t allow me to sit straight even for an hour. Every day I would cry holding my wife and children together thinking what would happen to them if I met death suddenly.Â
Someone advised me to meet a counsellor. I took an appointment with an old British lady counsellor. When she heard me, she exclaimed, “Young man, you have a loving family and profit-making business. Why are you thinking about death in such youth?†When she realised that I was not fully convinced, she told me her story. She said, “I was in an accident like you a decade ago. It was so severe that I almost lost my life. When I was admitted to the hospital, the doctors were unsure about saving me, but somehow a miracle happened. I woke up from the coma and underwent seven surgeries on different parts of my body. Even today I have to take physiotherapy sessions regularly.
Now I am in my 70s. Still, I have a strong desire to live life more and happily. If I have that passion at an old age, why don’t you have that young man?†The lady pushed her sleeve back and showed her arm to me. I was terrified to see it full of stitches everywhere. The lady patted my shoulder affectionately and asked me to think positively. She also advised me to consult a psychiatrist for proper medical treatment. I started taking medications and in a month got relief from depression and nightmares.
Friends, I urge everyone to banish negative thoughts from your mind forever. Instead, fill it with enthusiasm and creativity to live a happy life.
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The story of a non-resident Bangladeshi family establishing and running the famed perfume company Al Haramain and its successful subsidiaries
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