Emrran Hashmi has been dealing with cancer since his son, Ayaan, was diagnosed with it. Ayaan eventually did win his battle against cancer, but Emraan’s mom didn’t. She passed away last month due to cancer. Before that, Emraan had already decided that he was going to put what he went through with his son in a book. As the book is ready now, Emraan attended a book festival where he spoke about a lot of things, mostly related to his son.
Emraan Hashmi on Ayaan undergoing chemotherapy
After he started getting chemotherapy, we started getting nightmares as parents. At a school race, he fell after two steps; he fell again after three steps, but reached the finish line. That was what was important. This was the time he had come back from Toronto after his chemotherapy. It’s the participation that matters.
Emraan Hashmi on being addicted to knowing more about cancer
I visited hundreds of oncologists. The main thing as a parent I was battling against was that no one really told me that my son will be okay after six months of chemotherapy. My wife still thinks I need a shrink. I wanted to know about the causative nature of cancer. It’s partly genetic. It’s causative because of a host of other factors as well. The kind of air we are breathing also makes us vulnerable.
Emraan on what he learnt as a parent
Parenting is complex. I think more than the school, it is the home environment that is important, as ultimately, your child will come back home. Create a pleasant environment for your child. Also, my son made me a real father. When you have a crisis at home, you become a real caregiver. Looking at my son, I let go of any kind of self-pity.
Emraan on the different religions he believe in
I call my family a nationally integrated family. My mom is a Christian, my dad a staunch Muslim, my wife a Hindu. My grandmother converted to Islam after she married my grandfather. You might think that it gets chaotic for a kid with so many religions. This is exactly what I went through. But the true meaning of a religion is to imbibe the good from every faith. I did that after visiting the church with my mother, the mosque with my father and the temple with my wife. The way Ayaan’s brain is evolving from soaking up all the best parts from all religions is a great thing. What he’ll grow up to be will be fantastic, as he’ll respect every religion.