“When God throws things at you, you should not disrespect it,” singer Tanvi Shah told The Hindu a decade ago. Back then, she was one of the most happening singers in the film industry; apart from being the first Indian woman to bag the prestigious Grammy for AR Rahman’s global hit ‘Jai Ho’ ( Slumdog Millionaire ), Tanvi also had her hands full with performances and film song recordings. Concerts kept her on her toes even till September last year, when one day she felt something was not right.
A doctor’s reassurance that nothing was wrong kept her going, as she was busy with her musical performances. “From September 2023 to March 2024, I was constantly travelling and quite busy, but I kept thinking that something was not right,” recalls the singer, well known for her Tamil hit tracks with Yuvan Shankar Raja and AR Rahman , among others. She consulted another doctor, and followed up with multiple tests.
March 27, 2024 changed Tanvi’s life, the day she realised she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation sessions followed. “The process was difficult; my mind went for a toss.
It was a task to even get through the day, and I felt damaged. I could not hold a pen; my hands would shiver. I couldn’t journal, I couldn’t write my songs,” she recalls.
Singer Tanvi Shah| Photo Credit:Adharsh Tanvi also had second-degree burns due to radiation and lost much of her hair. “I could not get myself to look at a mirror for three mont.