Vogue India June 2019

190 VOGUE INDIA JUNE  http://www.vogue.in

Through

thick and thin

Through the ages, hair

has occupied the place

of “crowning glory” in

a woman’s relationship

with notions of beauty.

But what’s more

important than the

length of the mane is the

strength of the woman

behind it. Tahira Kashyap

Khurrana ponders

over her ever-evolving

relationship with her hair

I have always been a long-hair girl. I

had a deep relationship with my hair

because of general conditioning and be-

cause of my own obsession with long

hair. I have always had long hair, and

along with the perfect long hair some

long perfect complexes, too! We all

have complexes, and what I’ve just re-

alised is that they have nothing to do

with our efforts to attain perfec-

tion—they’re about our life state.

You could have the perfect hour-

glass fi gure and long, beautiful

hair, but if the mind is warped hap-

piness remains an illusion.

A few years ago, I had major hair

fall issues and was doing the rounds

of doctors, and it was driving me

nuts. And here I am, the same per-

son, who actually went bald! I

have come a long way. But I can

honestly say that I am happier

today. Today, I attribute happi-

ness to other amazing things in

my life—cherishing what I

have gives me more happiness than

brooding over losing hair. And with

the kind of love I have been showered

with, my heart is full of gratitude.

BREAKING GROUND

Haircuts are transformative, and in

my case it wasn’t just a haircut, it was

a shaved head. And I don’t know if it’s

the hair or the cancer, but I have start-

ed looking at life through a different

prism altogether.

When I got diagnosed with cancer I

wasn’t sure if I would be able to share

it with people. But when I was told by

a few close relatives to keep it quiet,

and a few doctors explained to me the

plight of many patients who were de-

nied a mammogram by their own rela-

tives or because they were too ashamed

to get themselves examined, I knew

this was going to be my mission! Early

breast cancer awareness is needed

along with the message of self-love. I,

too, got a wig or two made and bought

headscarves because of the pressure of

what we consider beautiful. When my

hair fall became really bad, I started

wearing hair extensions along with a

cap. But then one day I was just done.

And I decided to go bald. The fi rst per-

son I shared my picture with was my

husband, who said, ‘Wow!’

THE LONG ROAD

Each time before leaving home I would

put my cap on and take it off when

home. If we were having visitors, my

son would go running to fetch my cap;

he was feeding off my energy and the

desire to be normal. And the day I

shaved my head he was shocked, but

when he saw my happy face that’s the

energy he began to feed off. I’d like to

think I have redefi ned beauty or ‘nor-

mal’ for my son.

And now I can say I have enjoyed my

long hair, my buzzed head and even

now, how my hair looks as it’s growing

back. Each week, I enjoy a new look

and the best part is I am happy with

myself. All I can say to other women is

that each one of us is special, so follow

your own path and redefi ne beauty by

fi rst falling in love with yourself... ■

—As told to Chandni Sehgal

Since being diagnosed

with cancer, Tahira

Kashyap Khurrana has

been using her voice

to spread awareness

about the illness

KUNAL GUPTA

beauty