Of faith, hope, and courage

Navni Chawla talks to Indira Ahluwalia about her book and her turbulent life, which she has managed with great equanimity and a sense of purpose and gratitude

- Navni Chawla

Fast Forward to Hope is the brave story of a very brave woman, Indira Ahluwalia. This book is a testament to a woman’s courage, hope, determination, and love. The reader is sure to take away the contagious spirit of the author and her fiery desire to live life and live it well and fully. Indira Ahluwalia is an ordinary woman living a normal life with a loving family, friends, and work until cancer strikes her, which later becomes severe and visceral. In her book, she intricately describes the minute details of her journey while treating cancer. Her writing makes the readers travel with her through the meandering pathways of her life and empathise with her situations. They feel as if they are with her on every page. We find how a lovely family and a close-knit circuit of friends provide Indira with a concrete support system.

Another important anchor and internal source of strength is her faith in the greater good of every life situation and her will to live and heal completely. What makes the reader feel for Indira is life throwing one difficult challenge after another at her—from cancer metastasising dangerously in her body, the discomfort of chemotherapy, the trauma of losing hair, and a bilateral mastectomy, to a difficult and painful separation from her then husband. But her determination to fight against all odds makes her highly proactive. Her preparing herself mentally for a medical procedure, reciting mantras on her prayer beads, doing constant positive self-talk, praying incessantly to Waheguruji, her willingness to cure herself of the illness, and battling other personal challenges is exemplary.