“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity. The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.”

The Principal Financial Advisor to Central Railways, who has Master’s in Economics and a degree in Management, is recognized for the extensive work she has done in the realms of Public-Private partnership. With a demonstrated history of working in the transportation/trucking/railroad industry and skilled in Budgeting, Business Planning, Operations Management, Management, and Healthcare, she is a brand all by herself. The human in her, however, has far eclipsed the professional in her with the colossal work she has done for the cancer patients through her foundation “Sanjeevani” — literally the equivalent of the life-saving mythical herb that Lord Hanuman scoured the Himalayas to save the life of Lakshman in Ramayana.

Ms Ruby’s story of life has a poignant and stirring fusion of compassion and incredible resilience. A Stage Three cancer victor, her foundation has played a momentous and galactic role in rehabilitating people afflicted by the dreaded C and trains them to provide care and counseling to other patients and families. Today, its lofty activities have fanned out to 17 cities and have enriched the lives of over two lakh patients in just 7 years.

Her story is nothing short of a roller coaster thriller but it enkindles the same spirit of benevolence and commiseration that she embodies in her. Like it happens normally, it begins on a somber note. Retracing her memories in time, she recalls her blooming days. “My father was a police officer and contrary to the rigorous atmosphere that prevails in such households, I had my vision clear and my eyes were set on Civil Services. I was keen on making a difference and I qualified for it. Life moved on like a silken thread until tragedy struck in 2012.”

Diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer following back pain and lump in the chest, the family’s – husband, son and daughter – life almost came apart. “It was as miserable as it could get. We were shattered. The children were overcome with trauma and misery while I fought to come to terms with rising despair and pain. Even as the family grappled with this cataclysm in our lives, I decided to pull myself together. I realized being miserable and wallowing in self-pity would only lead to my losing the purpose of very life. The chemotherapy sessions I underwent for a year were painful and debilitating. Even after recovering, it took two years for me to regain strength and get back on my feet. The children too overcame the long spell of anguish and I could get back to work in 2012. However, it was quite a tough emotional battle and reminiscing those days makes me wonder how we could cope and endure that torment. Hiding the malaise from the family was a mistake. Besides, I also realized I was not the lone Ahluwalia in that distress. The other Ahluwalias in the family rallied round me. ”

Driven by the sole agenda of “making her better”, the family realized they could not just stop smiling and laughing in the wake of this adversity. Ms Ruby summoned strength from her innermost recesses to attend duties even on days when she was to undergo chemotherapy. Her patience and tenacity was severely tested at the Tata Memorial Hospital but the doctors went beyond their regular duties to soothe her psychologically as well. A new Ruby Ahluwalia was taking birth – a resolute, strong woman who had shed off the superficial skin and had even the gumption to say that cancer was the second best thing that happened to her after her husband Anil.

Sanjeevani…. Life Beyond Cancer happened in 2012 as a natural corollary of her saga of pain. It filled the gaps of other people facing similar struggles of physical, mental and financial drains with the belief that she must disburse the same love and care she received during her ailment. It sought to bring about a change in the interpretations, ways of creating awareness and providing rehabilitation to cancer survivors along with extensive emotional support.  The bureaucrat, once with a wandering, adventurous spirit and successful career stood firm when the ground underneath threatened to slip from below her feet. She made virtue out of it by turning it 360 degrees. “It was a time when I rediscovered myself but it was also heart-breaking to see the utter helplessness and despair of other cancer patients. The fear of death and/or recurrence is a nightmare that continues to haunt most cancer patients. I wanted to empower them, especially the under-privileged class, even in the midst of all the morbidity that obtains. I had no clear then as to what and when I needed to do,” she recalls.

The situation was not without its pluses. It turned her into a multi-tasker as she juggled time and energies to be a super professional, super mom and super wife. The spiritual evolution was happening steadily but firmly as she became a life coach and a prolific speaker on Holistic Healing – over 2.5 lakh patients across India being the beneficiaries. Material reward came in the form of “Change Makers Award” for the sterling contribution she has made in alleviating the sufferings of cancer patients. Her ability to don multiple robes is evident in the manner she paints and writes with similar flourish,

As a passionate painter, she employs the canvas to portray the profound churning in her quest for spiritual evolvement. “Each time I returned exhausted from my chemo sessions, I painted to give vent to my emotional ardour. I painted before as well but the 8 paintings during those days are a veritable storyboard and a text book on my spiritual growth and a trigger for the ‘Aha Movement.’ Those colourful outlets helped her glissade through feelings of depression and pain to enlightenment, acceptance and peace. “I feel if I paint directly, my emotions flow more freely onto the canvas. If I draw, I feel one has already expressed the emotion, and filling colours is a mere task left to be fulfilled,” she explains.  That exercise paved way and also became the raison d’etre of her book ‘Fragrance of a Wild Soul.’

A crystal-clear reflection of her multi-faceted personality, “Fragrance of a Wild Soul” describes her journey chiseled and honed by her parents. It is a moving account of her three-year ordeal that was overcome with strong support from family and friends. It seeks to establish a mind-body connect and solicits the importance of making peace with oneself in life, no matter how harsh the reality. It evocatively captures her catharsis and enlightenment.

To raise funds for rehabilitation of cancer patients, the NGO also hosts a virtual art gallery called ‘Art For Cause’ where artists can showcase their creations by pledging a small part of the sales proceeds as donation for the cause. “By showcasing these works, I want to encourage other cancer fighters, survivors to use their latent talents, be it art, music or pottery to ward of depression so integral when one is diagnosed with cancer. I also want to send the message that there is a life beyond cancer. No experience in life, good or bad should go to waste, when it can be channelized positively instead,” she earnestly believes.

Fortune does favour the brave and Ms Ruby is a walking symbol.

The link to the kindle edition of her book on Amazon: