Breaking a taboo

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women; however, discussing it continues to be a taboo in India. Actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s wife Tahira Kashyap was also dissuaded from talking about her positive diagnosis by her family. However, rebelling against the taboo, Kashyap began writing about her battle against the disease on Instagram. The writer-director opened up about the toll it had taken on her family and uploaded her pictures post the chemotherapy treatment. She affirmed that after losing her hair, she lost her insecurity and met with a sense of self-acceptance. 

Recently, Kashyap was invited at Ted Talks India Nayi Baat, hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, to address the issue of speaking up when it’s the hardest! Tahira was one among 26 speakers who are shaping the future of a better India. Tahira said, “It’s a privilege to share this important platform with such amazing trailblazers and to be able to share my story. It has been a wonderful experience. The only reason behind coming out in the open is that the message of early breast cancer detection should be on top of everyone’s mind and that nobody should just sit on the symptoms or ignore them. The idea is not to instil fear, but to be mindful. This alone can change the mortality rate in India and the world.”