Kushagra
Dixit writes in Times of India of 5th
February2026
“Proma
often asked why me, but her doctor said, why not you.”
The
day after chemotherapy is usually lost to exhaustion and nausea.
But
for Proma Mukherjee it was a day to put on ghungroos
Last
year, at 34, the Faridabad based dancer stood backstage, adjusting a wig she
had begun wearing only days earlier. Just 2 days before her stage performance,
the aggressive treatment for stage II breast cancer claimed her hair, not her
will. As the tabla began the ‘patient’ vanished. What stood there was a Kathak
powerhouse, executing pirouettes and intricate footwork that defied medical
expectations.
Kathak,
which Proma Mukherjee practiced for the last 20 years, proved to be her
lifeline. “I was not sure initially, and had doubts about myself. But I also
knew I was born for dancing, and the stage is for me. That is my place…. And then
there was no looking back,” said Proma the professional Kathak dancer.
Proma
was a woman who did not just survive cancer. She danced through it.
“I
was doing absolutely fine, with no symptoms. One day, while applying moisturizer,
I felt a lump on my breast. Like anyone else, I was not ready to believe it
could be cancer. Yet, I went for screening.”
In
2025, Proma received a life altering Stage 2 breast cancer diagnosis.
“I
was mentally broken and could not get up from bed for almost 2 weeks. During
that period, my husband, family members, and most importantly my dance partners
stood like pillars and encouraged me,” Proma said. Proma recalled her world
turning upside down after the biopsy confirmed the disease.
“Dance
is what kept me alive,” she said.
Proma
says, “It took a few days to accept the fact. Then I asked the doctor for a
plan. The first thing he told me was not to stop my daily life, and especially
not Kathak. My chemos were planned to suit my work. I ensured that I looked
presentable and not weak.
Though
some of my colleagues even rumoured that I was faking it, my doctor had been
very supportive.”
While
her body was undergoing the grueling toll of 8 chemotherapy cycles, major
surgery, and 20 rounds of radiation, her spirit remained on the stage.
Refusing
to let the ‘Patient’ identity define her, she continued to perform her taals
and complex footwork throughout her treatment. During this phase, she performed
12 shows overall, including a 50 minute performance after the last radiation. 2
weeks ago in Jan 2026, Proma was officially declared cancer free following a
PET scan. She received her last radiation in the first week of Oct. She
received her first chemotherapy in March 2025 and her last in June the same
year.
The
next month, she underwent surgery, and following that, she started radiation –
15 sessions and 5 targeted radiation sessions.
“I often asked why me,
but my doctor said, why not you.”
Proma
concludes, “I had the strength to sail through it. Back to normal life now, I
consider this phase a lesson that brought out the best in me.”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Here
the newspaper article has been quoted as it is.
When
I read it, it revived the memories of my mummy and Elsy, my sister in law.
We
had lived through their epic struggles at CMC Vellore.
Mummy
had been stricken with Glioblastoma, the virulent form of brain tumour. Though
paralysed, the aggressive treatment of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy brought
her back to a semblance of normalcy aided by physiotherapy at the concluding
phase.
We
were happy. But it did not last.
She
had a relapse after a few months. Chemotherapy did not help. Finally she
succumbed.
It
had begun with a severe headache in August 1977 and the end was in May 1978.
It
was heartbreaking.
Elsy
had been diagnosed with breast cancer stage 2 in 2001. But CMC Vellore saved
her with Surgery, Radiation and chemotherapy. She survived the ordeal and cured
of cancer, she went on to live a normal, happy and productive life for long.
However
a cardiac ailment took her away at the age of 60.
It
was devastating.
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