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* Dr. P. R Subas Chandran Non-clinical Psychologist
An overview
India’s rising life expectancy (72.03 ) is often celebrated as a sign of progress — yet this quantitative improvement hides a disturbing qualitative decline. Behind the growing numbers lies a nation struggling with fragile health, worsening lifestyles, and an alarming rise in preventable diseases. While policymakers boast statistics, the real wellbeing of citizens continues to deteriorate. Shockingly, the media too has largely failed to highlight this crisis with the urgency it warrants, choosing sensationalism over social responsibility.
Alarming Health Trends
India today faces a silent epidemic.
Teenagers — once considered the healthiest group — are now increasingly suffering from: Heart attacks, Obesity and fatty liver, Myopia, Cancer and hormonal disorders
Senior citizens are aging faster and suffering more — many expressing a desire for early escape from life due to unbearable health conditions. Modern food habits, sedentary lifestyles, and unhealthy cultural trends are suffocating the nation’s overall fitness.
Yet, instead of raising red flags and demanding accountability, much of the media normalizes junk food ads, glorifies harmful trends, and ignores the warnings from health experts.
Systemic Failure
This crisis is not merely the result of personal negligence — it reflects a systemic collapse:
- Health education is practically absent
- Policies prioritise curing diseases rather than preventing them
- No strict regulations on food marketing targeted at children
- Media campaigns rarely promote wellness — but aggressively promote toxins with glamour
The lack of accountability across governance, education, and media ecosystems has deepened public vulnerability.
The Impact of Food Choices on Health
The most fundamental element affecting health — food — has turned into a threat.
The Toxic Food Cycle
- Heavily processed food loaded with sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats is aggressively marketed and widely consumed
- Poor or misleading labelling prevents informed decision-making
- The government’s weak focus on preventive healthcare leaves the public unprotected
- Media continues to make junk culture “cool” — a disservice of the highest order
This cycle fuels cancers, metabolic diseases, and mental health disorders at frightening speeds.
A Call for Action
To break this deadly trend:
- Mandatory warning labels on unhealthy foods — as seen with alcohol and tobacco
- Strong push for local, organic, and traditional diets
- Enforcement of media ethics — restrict harmful food advertising
- Ensure affordable access to nutritious choices for every citizen
Health should not be a privilege — it must be a right.
Learning from Global Examples: A Missing Wellness Culture
Countries like China actively invest in national wellness. Ironically, holistic practices such as yoga — India’s own gift to the world — are not uniformly implemented in Indian schools.
The Missing Link in Health Education
It is urgent to:
- Make Physical Education compulsory with some extra marks
- Provide adequate sports infrastructure and playgrounds
- Train teachers and involve parents in wellness-focused upbringing
Our child-grooming ecosystem is currently flawed. Ragging, mental distress, and screen addiction are crippling young bodies and minds. Meanwhile, the healthcare system is collapsing under rising disease burden.
Media’s Role in the Crisis
Mainstream media must answer a critical question:
When did entertainment become more important than national health?
- Huge airtime is given to politics and scandals
- Little to no space for preventive healthcare awareness
- Journalists rarely investigate the business of unhealthy food industries
This silence is not ignorance — it is complicity.
A responsible media can save millions of lives.
Its inaction, sadly, is costing them.
The Need for Change
A transformation must begin now — focusing on:
- Prevention over cure
- Fitness and mental health for all ages
- Policy reform and media accountability
- Widespread awareness campaigns
Government, institutions, youth, parents, and press — every stakeholder must act.
Breaking the Cycle of Neglect
To reverse decades of oversight:
- Revamp education policies to include structured health and wellness programmes
- Extend yoga, meditation, and fitness initiatives to workplaces and communities
- Build nationwide campaigns that reshape culture toward healthy living
This must become a national movement — not an optional hobby.
Towards a Healthy Nation
A strong nation needs strong citizens.
India’s aspirations will collapse if its people are unhealthy.
By making health and wellness a national identity, India can unlock the full potential of its youth, workforce, and future generations.
The time to act is now.
Let us build a future where:
- media prioritizes public health,
- governments enforce preventive policies,
- communities encourage wellness, and
- every citizen takes responsibility for their own body and mind.
A healthy India is not merely a dream — it is a necessity for our survival and progress.
*The author, a social activist, filed a public interest litigation requesting the High Court to include physical education in the academic curriculum. Although the Chennai High Court issued an order on this matter, no action has been taken.
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