Shark Tank India season 5 judge Kanika Tekriwal recalls battling cancer; reveals relatives told her mom that there is no point in helping her recover

Aviation entrepreneur Kanika Tekriwal is the newest Shark to join the panel on Shark Tank India season 5. In the recent episode, Kanika opened up battling cancer at the age of 22. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer. In the episode, Kanika revealed that the toughest phase of her life also made her strong enough to face any challenge.

The episode started with Kanika sharing how she was initially underestimated, as she spoke about her journey of becoming an entrepreneur. She shared, "The only difference between a survivor and a normal person is one who doesn't give in. The company I was working for was constructing a building with a helipad. I told them that a helicopter can never land on this and nobody took me seriously. The CFO said this is not the age to do this, start a boutique. He said something in those lines. I think that's what turned me around and I packed my bags, and I moved to London."

She also revealed that the company she worked for had only white employees, and a remark made by someone deeply affected her, prompting her to move to London. "The company I worked for only had white employees, someone passed a comment there. He said, "Kanika, India and aviation won't work and I was like, he has challenged the wrong person. I needed to teach him a lesson. I went home to convince my parents that I want to work instead of getting married, but the day I reached home, the next day I was diagnosed with cancer," she said.

She went on to reveal that some relatives even told her parents there was no point in supporting her recovery. Speaking about how her cancer diagnosis changed her life, Kanika shared, "Cancer was a big turning point for me and I always say whatever I am today is because of cancer. It made me believe that I am invincible. Mere khud ke relatives mere maa ko bol rahe the ke theek karne mein faida kya hai isko (My own relatives told my mom that there is no point in helping me recover)."


Kanika ended her conversation by talking about overcoming the life-threatening illness, "I remember walking down the stairs and I told them in five years I'll be on the cover of Forbes. I literally packed my bags and ran away from home and I moved to Delhi. Within two years without owning even one plane, we became the largest jet fleet in the country. I transformed the entire industry. You need constant provocation from people to keep fighting. I believe Shark Tank gives a lifeline to people without a voice. I feel that since the world has given me so much. I am where I am because of people it's my time to give back," she concluded.