In this episode, we cover:

About the guest:

Sanjay is a Learning Designer who currently leads L&D at Pride Circle. He has previously worked as a part of the Founding Team of Harappa Education and the skilling team of NASSCOM Foundation. He is passionate about mental health, queer rights and cancer advocacy.

He got diagnosed with incurable brain cancer at the age of 29 the day he landed on Harvard University's campus to start his Master’s program in September 2021. He's currently leading an effort to write & publish a first-of-its-kind book on Adulting with Cancer called ‘Don’t Ask Me How I’m Doing: Life, Death and Everything in Between’ -- to chronicle the experiences, raise awareness and create a resource for Indian and South Asian young adult cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.

He is an incoming graduate student at Harvard University, a postgraduate of the Young India Fellowship program at Ashoka University, and a Valedictorian and Student of the Year from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

Key Moments: 

2 mins and 3 seconds

So my understanding of privilege was very different. Because even if I identified myself as a queer person, it came with many safety nets around me. That went away when I got diagnosed with cancer. Now not only was I disadvantaged because of my sexuality, but I was at a disadvantage because of my cancer experience.

6 mins and 23 seconds

So there is this generation of queer people who have just realized that they can be themselves. They are in that phase where they're trying to explore things. They're trying to be openly themselves. There's that frog in the pond syndrome. There are so many fish in the sea, why do you want to settle for one, so everyone's trying to experiment and like, you know, like, find their own feet.

25 mins and 32 seconds

The worst thing is when you reveal in a public sort of space, and that public, I don't even mean like a huge stage or like in like a large audience, even when it's just five people together, and you just say that. No, I'm sorry, I can't do this because I'm a cancer survivor.

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