In January, Sonali Bendre Behl returned to Mumbai from New York after spending six months for her cancer treatment. On her first flight since her return, she said that she was scared to address a public gathering to overcome the disease.

However she wanted to be in charge of her narrative and hence decided to be a part of India Today Conclave 2019.

Sonali credited her husband, Goldie, who motivated her through the treatment by asking her to take it one day at a time. Once technologically challenged, Sonali embraced social media where she coined the now famous hashtags #onedayatatime and #switchonthesunshine to reach out to millions about her experience.

Sonali recalled how she and Goldie decided to come clean to their only child on the diagnosis. When Ranveer, an asthmatic, was informed he was quiet for a moment, took a puff of his inhaler and said that he was aware of cancer because of a book that he and Sonali had read together.

Sonali said that she had endorsed every hair product in the heydays of her career as an actress. Now with her hair shorn of its original glory she’s been learning to accept the changes in her body. While she is happy that her brows and lashes are back, the hair still remains short.

While describing the pain that she underwent during the surgery and chemotherapy, she said the toughest time was post surgery which left her with a 20-inch scar on her midriff.

When the audience was asked if her new hairdo was better than the old, long locks, all hands were raised in spontaneous consensus. And that was indeed the magic moment of the day.