OVER DEZE AFLEVERING
Many people dream of being an author. No one dreams that their first book will be about their battle with cancer. But that was the twist in the tale in Shormishta Mukhrjee's life.
"I had no clue what I wanted to do"
A casual trip to an ad agency with a friend who was to give a copy test turned into a career. While her friend didn't get the job, Shormishta got the job of copywriter in HTA (what is today Wunderman Thompson). She moved cities and eventually settled in Mumbai, the hub of Indian advertising. In a bid to have more control, she set up her own boutique agency, Rickshaw advertising. When the digital bug bit, she moved to Flying Cursor, an agency that skewed more towards the digital side of things.
"The client replied asking me what I was doing replying at this ungodly hour"
Working in advertising and good health are sort of an oxymoron, and Shormishta didn't buck this trend. Waking up in the middle of the night and checking mail wasn't anathema. That was until she replied to a mail at 3.00 am to a client who was traveling and the client asked her why she was replying to a mail at that hour. That was when she started taking her health seriously.
And then cancer struck.
"I wasn't ashamed of my body"
Cancer ravages your body (and your soul). And until medicine finds a better way, cancer treatments will also ravage body and soul. In the book, Shormishta writes about getting her breast reconstructed, a delicate topic. While she wondered if that was sharing too much, she went ahead as she didn't want to take any half measures.
While the title 'Cancer you picked the wrong girl' sounds like a self-help book, it's nothing but and if you're looking for a light breezy read, this might not cut it for you.
"Cancer opened my eyes to how privileged I was"
No one likes hospitals. The smell of antiseptic, pale and fearful faces, and the never ending wait times. But when you have cancer, hospitals become your second home. While Shormishta began her treatment in a government hospital, she switched to a private one. She saw first hand the overworked doctors, nurses and a health care system tethering at the brink.
"I was the best client"
From spending an entire life writing for clients, writing her own story was therapeutic for Shormishtha. She didn't have to worry about things like who she was targeting. All she did was tell her truth. She adds that while her husband has read the book, her father finds it too hard to read it. On the other hand, her mother read the book and has assumed the role of a promoter (unpaid of course), telling anyone she meets about her daughter's debut book.
At the start of the conversation, I told Shormishta how Lance Armstrong's book was the last book I read on cancer. That was a whole level of saccharine. So it was refreshing to read an Indian author (writing her debut book) write about her cancer ordeal in a matter of fact way.
Shormishta says another book is on the horizon.
Also, all proceeds from the sale of the book are going to Tata Memorial.
