Carnatic musician Gayathri Venkataraghavan on how music helped her fight cancer

On September 16, 2025, Gayathri Venkataraghavan took to the stage at Hamsadhwani in Chennai to mark the birth anniversary of the legendary MS Subbulakshmi. The past year, when she was recovering from breast cancer, melted, and everyone got to see Gayathri back on stage, only this time with shorter hair.

A little less than a year ago, in October 2024, the singer posted on her social media pages that she was taking a break owing to health reasons. During the course of the treatment, Gayathri kept posting about her progress and some archival videos, including the one where she was seen singing snatches of Nalinakanthi with brother Senthil Ramani while holidaying at Kotagiri in the Nilgiris.

Gayathri, whose interests include mountaineering and trekking, says the decision to share her diagnosis and her journey was a carefully considered one. “It had to be done, because I’d accepted many concerts in December. I had returned from a trek in the Himalayas in June after which I was diagnosed with triple negative cancer, which can be aggressive. But, the doctors gave me hope. I first thought treatment would not last long, but once I realised it would be prolonged, I wanted to share it with my audience. My husband, Dr Venkataraghavan felt it would also help others because, sometimes, even educated people do not confide about this to their close ones, losing precious time in seeking treatment.”

The response left Gayathri deeply moved. People offered words of encouragement. “Many women wrote to me about their own experience with cancer and how they never mustered the courage to discuss it with anyone. We have a network of friends with cancer and help counsel those who are newly diagnosed.  Now that my concerts have begun, someone else in the circle steps in,” says Gayathri.

“When you have cancer, only someone else who has had it, or is going through treatment can understand you. It is a tough journey, and a lonely one. But it is not always possible to be mentally strong. Luckily, I was blessed with Dhridabhakti — incidentally the name of my first album — complete trust. Friends and my immediate and extended family, especially my niece, helped in a big way.”

This period also made Gayathri realise how much rasikas had waited for her, praying in the interim. This included the elderly members of Anandam Old Age Home, Ambattur, that she is associated with. “The sabhas said they would wait for me, and kept checking in on me. That was very motivating. I always feel the people around me are my wealth — manusha sampath,” she says. Gayathri also fiercely held on to her sense of humour, and recorded fun videos with her family or for them. That kept her in good stead. “Everyone else at home had to go to work. How do we make them more comfortable? Yes, I had cancer, but life has to go on.”

Gayathri has also avoided wearing a wig. “I had a clear thought that people need to see all the changes I was going through. Somehow, I felt it humanised me, and broke the “Carnatic singer’ mould of silk saris, plaited hair and flowers.” Gayathri also wanted to share the message that cancer is curable in most cases if discovered early, and that the treatment protocol sees advances every day. “So many have said they derive hope from my journey. I was merely sharing what I learnt from those who walked this path earlier, such as actor Manisha Koirala and dancer Ananda Shankar Jayanth,” says Gayathri who recently began her music school Gana Vinyasa.

Music also healed Gayathri. “I would chant, I would sing. Some friends would come over and perform. That same music has put me back on the stage. And after this, some people are calling this GV 3.0,” laughs Gayathri.”