Bhakti Chalak/Pune
The conferring of the prestigious 'Lakshmibai Tilak Award' by the Maharashtra Government on 'Inuchi Goshta' (The Story of Inu) is a tribute to its author, Yunus Sayyad, for his resilience in fighting a slew of diseases, including cancer, and sharing his experience with public through the book.
Yunus Sayyad was pursuing his Master's degree at Fergusson College when he was diagnosed with blood cancer.
For the next year, he underwent treatment at Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital. During that time, he had to battle 13 different diseases. Twice, his health deteriorated to the point of hopelessness. Friends who saw him in the ICU thought it would be their last meeting.
However, today, Yunus has dodged death and become a ray of hope for thousands of patients. His book 'Inuchi Goshta' (The Story of Inu) is the story of his struggle with diseases.
Yunus Sayyad receiving the award
A visibly happy Yunus Sayyad told Awaz-the Voice, "When the award was announced, I was doing cancer awareness work in the Konkan region—in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Raigad. At one place, I was conducting a session for medical officers and primary health centre staff on palliative care centres on the care of cancer patients. Coincidentally, I was in a village very close to Lakshmibai Tilak's village, and the award is also in her name. It was a great coincidence that I was doing cancer awareness work, which is the exact subject of my book."
Yunus faced many difficulties while undergoing cancer treatment. Common patients have no information about things, such as the cost of treatment, proper diet, precautions during chemotherapy, and scientific methods of drinking water. Often, many things can be learned only through experience.
Yunus says, "I found solutions myself to all the problems I faced. With the thought that my journey and experiences should benefit other patients, I started writing a diary." This diary was later transformed into a book. Since Yunus's nickname is 'Inu', the book was named 'Inuchi Goshta', and its tagline was kept as 'Ajun Mi Jivant Ahe' (I am still alive).
Yunus's mother had never seen the world outside her village till her son was diagnosed with cancer. For Yunus's treatment, she rented a room in a slum area in Mumbai and lived there.
Yunus says, "My mother's struggle was bigger than mine. She endured the heat of Mumbai, the environment there, and the constant physical strain caused by my illness for a year."
Yunus Sayyad with his family
While bedridden and undergoing treatment for cancer, Yunus diligently wrote down memories from his childhood in a diary.
The book 'Inuchi Goshta' is not just confined to cancer patients. Reading the story of a young man who fought and survived 13 diseases in a year is inspiring many ordinary people as well. The Maharashtra State Board of Literature and Culture selected this book from among 80 books.
Receiving a state award for an autobiography in the adult literature category at the age of just 26 makes Yunus the youngest literary awardee this year. He achieved this success purely on the strength of his experience, without previous inclination to writing.
Yunus said, "My book was published at the end of 2024. After publication, it received the 'Navlekhak' (New Author) award from the Pune Book Festival. After that, the book was read by many cancer patients. Most importantly, on Cancer Day last year, I was invited as a guest to Tata Memorial Hospital, the very hospital where I was treated, and an informal launch of the book took place there too."
Yunus also founded an NGO named 'Aarambh'. He says, "It’s wrong to think that our life is over after cancer. Modern medical science has good options like immunotherapy and targeted therapy."
He also made a video on the treatment process at the Tata Hospital, which was watched by thousands of people. Many of them contacted him, and he helped 2500 patients get admitted into hospitals for treatment.
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Today, he says, more than 85 per cent of them are living normal lives.
