Preface

He is not a hero, but he definitely has that heroic soul, whose presence he himself fears to admit. From my understanding, I can say that nothing worse than this can happen to a person. It is Aakarshan to whom this misfortune happened.
He is silently invaded by a disease called self- defeating personality disorder. This disease is actually a vamp in the guise of a saint. It can appear kind and benevolent to others, yet it is as equally brutal and malignant to the one who suffers it. To say, it is more lethal than a severe myocardial infraction. This disease doesn't ceases your breath; it grabs you by your neck and forces you instead to breathe in something dark and menacing.
The disease is not contagious, but it actually chooses the persons whom it finds worthwhile to be with. Those with exacting dreams, exalted spirit and uncanny goodness is highly prone to this disease. The cure for this disease is still not known, but in few rare cases a-, few fortunate souls have lived through it, have survived it as they encounter that rare catholicon and that too only at its initial stages. There are so many others who are not among those few fortunate ones. And Aakarshan was among those so many others.
There are certain points enlisted in Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) III-R as the diagnosis of the disease, which are as follows:
Self-defeating personality disorder a pervasive pattern of self-defeating behavior, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts. The person may often avoid or undermine pleasurable experiences, be drawn to situations or relationships in which he or she will suffer, and prevent others from helping him, as indicated by at least five of the following:
1. Chooses people and situations that lead to disappointment, failure, or mistreatment even when better options are clearly available.
2. Rejects or renders ineffective the attempts of others to help him or her.
3. Following positive personal events (e.g., new achievement), responds with depression, guilt, or a behaviour that produces pain (e.g., an accident).
4. Incites angry or rejecting responses from others and then feels hurt, defeated, or humiliated (e.g., makes fun of a spouse in public, provoking an angry retort, then feels devastated).
5. Rejects opportunities for pleasure, or is reluctant to acknowledge enjoying himself or herself (despite having adequate social skills and the capacity for pleasure).
6. Fails to accomplish tasks crucial to his or her personal objectives despite demonstrated ability to do so-, (e.g., helps fellow students write papers, but is unable to write his or her own).
7. Is uninterested in or rejects people who consistently treat him or her well-, (e.g., is unattracted to caring sexual partners).

I am working on my first extended work in this very subject since last few months. So, I apologize for my apparently long absence over here.
Aakarshan's story tells us how the disease makes its way through his life and finally consume him. I couldn't help but to write it. The story didn't come to me like an epiphany in some darkness of the night and at some constrained loneliness of my being. It was something that made its gradual progression in front of me as I was walking through some interesting phase of my life that had both the darkness of the nights and brightness of the days.
I seek your best wishes for the work to be completed soon.