NEW DELHI: 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 had claimed her hair, not her will. As the tabla began, the ‘patient’ vanished. What stood was a Kathak powerhouse, executing sharp pirouettes and intricate footwork that defied medical expectations. Kathak, which she practised 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, professional Kathak dancer.Proma did not just survive cancer; she danced through it. “I was doing absolutely fine, with no symptoms. One day, while applying moisturiser, 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.“It took a few days to accept the fact, then I asked my 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, so some of my colleagues even rumoured that I was faking it, but my doctor was very supportive,” she said.While her body underwent the gruelling 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 50minute performance after the last radiation.Two 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. 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,” she said.In Proma’s case, doctors planned treatment around life after cancer. Dr Amit Upadhyay, Senior consultant hematologist and oncologist at PSRI Hospital, who treated Proma, said chemotherapy was paired with ovarianprotecting injections to preserve fertility to preserve her dream of motherhood. Breast conservation surgery removed the tumour without a full mastectomy, crucial for her confidence as performer. Targeted radiation then eliminated microscopic cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue and vital organs, said the doctor.
