A few years back, filmmaker and author Tahira Kashyap Khurrana opened up on her battle with depression and ever since, she has been very vocal about the importance of mental health. She has often stressed on creating an open discussion on mental health issues and crushing the stigma surrounding them. And recently, in an initiative aimed towards community building called The Circle Of Happiness organised by real estate firm Rustomjee, Tahira shared the stage with eminent American psychiatrist Dr Robert Waldinger, who is also the director of the longest study on happiness conducted by Harvard, and India’s first paraplegic DJ Varun Khullar, on the subject Finding Happiness Through Hardship & Struggle at an event held in Mumbai.
Talking about it, she said, “It is an absolute delight to share a stage with Dr Waldinger and Varun. I did have breast cancer. But I cannot say that my problem is bigger than someone who’s having a financial problem or a relationship problem. Problems aren’t bigger or smaller, it all depends upon one’s life state. If a person’s life state is strong, they can brave any situation.”
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She also stated that practising Nichiren-Buddhism has given her a perspective and helped her deal with emotional issues. “I also practice Nichiren-Buddhism where significance of each life is given lot of prominence. Of course, we cannot brush the problem under the carpet but we can deal with it in a positive manner with a change of perspective,” Tahira remarked.
In 2019, The 12 Commandments Of Being A Woman writer spoke to Mid-Day and recalled the time when she was dealing with depression and ‘living a dual life’. She shared, “My husband (actor Ayushmann Khurrana) was shooting. I would spend hours at night crying, and put up the front of a happy person in the morning so that I didn’t look like a loser before my children, who were aged two and four then… I never treated my body, mind and soul as one entity. I always thought physical health was important and mental toh kuch hota hi nahin hai. So, I exercised a lot. But I think the cancer was a manifestation of the negativity that I had been harbouring. Had I gone to a doctor, I would have been declared clinically depressed. But I chose to cry every night instead of visiting one.”
October also marks breast cancer awareness month and Tahira, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at a pre-cancerous stage in 2018, continues to champion and create awareness regarding early detection. Along with working on films, she has been working towards emancipating women all around the world to speak up, share and own their journeys.
