World Cancer Day 2022: From penning their son's memoir to immortalizing him, these parents personify hope in all its glory

Undoubtedly, cancer is the deadliest disease one can be diagnosed with. According to a World Health Organization report, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths. Talking about India, another 2020 WHO study mentioned that one in every 10 Indians will develop cancer and one in every 15 will die of the disease.According to the study, India, with a population of 1.35 billion, witnessed as many as 1.16 million new cancer cases and 784,800 cancer deaths in 2018.
While most of these deaths are reduced to mere numbers and statistics, Divyansh and his parents are an exception. When he was 12, Divyansh was diagnosed with leukemia, i.e. cancer of blood-forming tissues, hindering the body's ability to fight infection. Unfortunately, after fighting the disease courageously for 10 years, Divyansh passed away in 2019 at the age of 22.
'Blaze', published in August 2021 by Rupa Publications India, is a memoir of Divyansh penned by his mother Nidhi Poddar, a homemaker, along with his father Sushil Poddar, a senior government official. It traces the family's journey as they fight Divyansh's disease, and travel to different countries for his treatment.
In an exclusive interview with TOI Books, Nidhi and Sushil revealed the inspiration behind the memoir, their journey along the way, and the lifelong lessons Divyansh taught them before he departed.
1) For those readers who haven't read 'Blaze' or don't know about it - how would you explain it?
'Blaze' is a true story that has been co-authored by us, Divyansh’s parents; Nidhi Poddar (mother) and Sushil Poddar (father) who live in Mumbai. It is a biographical account of ever-evolving Divyansh Atman as narrated by his mother in the book and her evolving motherhood alongside. The life journey of Divyansh reflects the embodiment of courage and self-determination in the face of adversities. It shows how the path of opportunities can still be paved amidst adversities all around. In his short visit to this planet-spanning for about 22 years, he lived a big and meaningful life that made a huge impact on the lives of persons who came across him.

2) How has your journey been - from Divyansh being diagnosed with blood cancer to him passing away in 2019 to you writing a book on it?
The journey had been daunting and sometimes looked intimidating, yet the long and tumultuous path brought us closer to our souls. This is what we have mentioned in the book. All through the adversities, Divyansh led us from the front giving us hope and courage to try everything possible. Towards the end of the journey, seeing the maturity and wisdom with which Divyansh was fighting with his nemesis and his wisdom reflected through his poetic and literary excellence, the decision to write a book on him germinated in our mind.
It will be apt here to quote a few lines from Divyansh’s poem, 'The Rebirth':
Now, as I stand at the precipice of this path,
I truly understand,
The true nature of transience, as it always is.
3) At what point did you decide to write the book? Why did you feel the need to do so? What was the inspiration behind it?
The idea of writing a story about him came to us while he was alive. The inspiration was Divyansh himself. We thought that at some stage of his life he would write his own story. But destiny had something else in its store. As he moved on to a higher realm, he passed on the baton to us to accomplish it. When we sat down to write his story, we quickly realized that what he had left to us was a complete story to tell the world even though he could barely live 22 years. If one reads the book, they will realize that the story is being narrated by Divyansh himself, though the active voice of the book is his mother.
4) Now, when the book has become popular with many positive reviews from celebrities, how do you think Divyansh would have reacted to all this?
Honestly, Divyansh would have reacted with a gentle smile. His personality was like sand on the beaches that can withstand tormenting waves while holding its ground, absorbing all the water brought by them. The water that Divyansh absorbed with great equanimity was both of ecstasy and agony, excruciating pain and tremendous joy, and anguish and bliss.

5) What's the biggest lesson you learned from your journey?
The biggest lesson which we have learned from our journey while treading through Divyansh’s challenging life is that even adversity can be a cause of your evolution and self-actualization. The profoundness of life, as we felt, is best realized while treading the path of adversity.
6) The prompt of the book reads: "Divyansh was the embodiment of courage and self-determination in the face of adversities. His life journey shows us how the path of opportunities can still be paved in the middle of adversities." Can you elaborate on the same?
Divyansh was an embodiment of the right synergy between body, mind, and soul. The brain controls the body, but what controls the brain? It's our soul. His soul seemed very mature and that’s why he took every challenge of his life with absolute calmness without showing many physical or emotional disturbances. We recall him once having said: "I have a disease, I am not diseased. The problem is in my body, not in me." His life was not long but big as he could live even the tiniest moment of his life to the fullest.
7) The first cheque of the royalty was handed to the Tata Memorial Hospital a few days back. Why did you decide to do so?
We were reminded of a day in the USA when we were returning with Divyansh from the day-care center treatment. He very thoughtfully evoked, “Mummy, I want to earn a lot of money and donate as much for charity.” It was our long-cherished dream to make his wish a reality. When we handed over the cheque to the Director, Tata Memorial Hospital, it occurred to us as if we were donating Divyansh’s first earnings to fulfill his wish. The feeling was divine.

8) A message you would like to give to all parents who are on the same journey - whose kids have been diagnosed with a deadly disease?
A deadly disease like cancer, its painful treatment process, and side effects are not in our hands. What remains in our hands is to face it with strong determination and courage while maintaining dignity in our sufferings. Then only the right action will follow. The disease may hit your body but not your spirit as long as you don’t give up. Also, sometimes, even doctors and paramedics need motivating gestures from parents and patients to keep them going and trying every bit of it. That’s the time parents should rise to the occasion and give them all the strength and courage while standing stoutly behind their children.