Hope Floats

In town to launch a new collection of watches from Swiss brand Rado,Ray,who is their brand ambassador,refused to dwell on the pain and the suffering,talking instead of the long road to recovery. “I don’t want to think of the chemotherapy treatments and its aftermath. Let’s say I have experienced the pain of being diagnosed with cancer and have overcome my condition with flying colours,” says the 38-year-old,dressed in a satin ecru dress. Now,she declares with infectious enthusiasm,she wants to live life on her own terms. “My universe had certainly turned upside down. I feel more connected with my self now. Through all this I would just wonder how I allowed it to happen to me from years of neglecting my body. Now I intend to have fun and be less hard on myself,” explains Ray,who has recently featured in a documentary about breast cancer awareness by Indian-American actor and director Namrata Singh Gujral’s In a Minute,which features other cancer survivors like actresses Olivia Newton John,Barbara Mori and William Baldwin. She is also working on opening a yoga studio in Toronto.

Raising awareness about cancer takes up most of Ray’s time now. She has associated herself with several related charities,working on awareness programmes on stem cell therapy and participates in public discussions in Toronto,to exchange notes on cancer-related topics. There are also plans to bring out a book on the story of her own recovery. “I began blogging during the illness to record my experience. I intend to pursue it because it is a lovely way to channel one’s feelings. I have not thought of a title yet but it will be about my experiences as a cancer survivor,” she says.

Ray,who is mostly remembered for her role in Deepa Mehta’s Water,last featured in an Indo-Canadian production Cooking with Stella,directed by Dilip Mehta,where she portrayed the role of a Canadian diplomat’s wife. She is now eager to get her acting and modeling career back on track. “But I am in no hurry. I have received acting offers but am not looking at them keenly at the moment. I will know when the time is right,” says Ray,who will be staying in Mumbai for a few months to begin shooting for a television series on travel for the Discovery channel.

What is on her priority list,however,is ‘building relationships’. There’s her new boyfriend Brett Wilson,a Canadian philanthropist whom she was introduced to by one of her close friends,and a long list of family and friends she intends to spend more time with. “Work can wait. It is not the most over-riding thing in life. Building people to people contacts is more meaningful for me,” she signs off.