Author: Anish Desai

At 8:45 every morning, Rohan, 34, walks into his Mumbai office with his laptop bag over one shoulder and coffee in the other hand. His first meeting begins at 9. By 11:30, he has attended three video calls. By 1:30, lunch is eaten at his desk. The afternoon disappears between spreadsheets, presentations, emails and another series of meetings. At around 4 pm, Rohan shifts uneasily in his chair. His lower back is aching again. He stands up, stretches for a few seconds and sits down. At 7 pm, he finally closes his laptop. When he gets up, his back feels…

Why India needs to take joint health seriously It started with something as ordinary as climbing the stairs. Every morning, 52-year-old Meena would stop halfway up the staircase to her apartment in Pune. At first, she blamed tiredness. Then she blamed age. When the pain became more frequent, she simply changed her routine. She stopped taking the stairs, shortened the evening walks she once enjoyed with her husband and eventually gave them up altogether. Sitting on the floor during family gatherings became difficult. Playing with her grandchildren became something she watched from a chair rather than something she could join.…

Why mental health has become one of the defining business challenges of our time It begins with one of the most ordinary exchanges in professional life. “How are you?” “I am fine.” Every morning, millions of employees walk into offices carrying burdens that remain invisible to everyone around them. Some are coping with illness in the family. Others are dealing with anxiety, financial pressure, relationship breakdowns or chronic exhaustion. Yet, for fear of appearing vulnerable or unprofessional, they put on a smile and get on with the day. Rahul was one such employee. One morning, he parked outside his office,…

Rajesh was 42 when a routine household chore changed the way he thought about his health. As he bent to lift a carton of books, a sharp pain shot through his lower back. Expecting a slipped disc, he instead learnt that he had early osteoporosis and poor muscle strength. A few weeks later, his wife, Meera, 39, paused halfway up the stairs because her knees hurt and her legs felt unusually weak. Neither of them looked unwell, and both believed they were healthy. What they did not realise was that years of desk jobs, hurried meals, little exercise and inadequate…

For many Indians, the arrival of the monsoon is inseparable from food. The first showers bring an irresistible craving for hot pakoras, samosas, bhajiyas and cups of steaming masala chai. Families head outdoors, children play in the rain, and roadside vendors do brisk business selling cut fruits, fresh juices and popular snacks. Yet, this is also the season when doctors begin seeing a surge in patients complaining of stomach ailments. Cases of food poisoning, diarrhoea, viral gastroenteritis, acidity and dehydration rise sharply. Quite often, the culprit is not overeating or unhealthy food alone. Even foods generally regarded as wholesome can…

The first rains had finally arrived. Like millions across India, Rohan stepped onto his balcony with a cup of tea, breathing in the unmistakable scent of wet earth. The oppressive summer heat had disappeared overnight. Roads glistened, children splashed through puddles, and the city seemed to come alive once again. A week later, however, the relief had given way to an unexpected problem. What began as mild itching between his toes soon spread to his groin. His wife developed a stubborn rash beneath her breasts, while his teenage daughter complained of worsening acne despite following her usual skincare routine. A…

It is the first week of July in Mumbai. After two days of relentless rain, 42-year-old Rajesh, a taxi driver, develops a high-grade fever, severe body aches and a headache. Assuming it is “just a viral fever”, he buys over-the-counter medicines from a neighbourhood pharmacy and continues working. Three days later, his fever worsens. His platelet count has fallen dramatically. He is admitted to the hospital with severe dengue. Across the city, eight-year-old Ayesha develops profuse diarrhoea after drinking contaminated water in her housing colony following flooding. In Kerala, a farmer who spent hours wading through floodwater develops fever, jaundice…

A seven-year-old child in Lucknow develops a fever. His parents visit the neighbourhood pharmacy and purchase a three-day course of antibiotics without consulting a doctor. The fever subsides briefly, only to return a week later. This time, the child is admitted to a hospital with severe pneumonia. Laboratory tests reveal a resistant bacterial infection. The antibiotic that would once have cured him no longer works. This is no longer an isolated story. It is becoming a defining challenge for India’s healthcare system. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly antibiotic resistance, has emerged as one of the greatest public health threats of the…

On a scorching afternoon in Vidarbha, 42-year-old Rajesh was making his final delivery of the day. The temperature had crossed 45°C. Like thousands of delivery workers across India, he ignored his headache and dizziness, believing them to be signs of ordinary fatigue. Two hours later, he collapsed unconscious. Doctors diagnosed him with severe heatstroke. In Mumbai, 68-year-old Meena Devi never stepped outdoors. Yet after spending an entire day in a poorly ventilated apartment during a heatwave, she arrived at the emergency department confused and severely dehydrated. Meanwhile, Rohan, a fit 19-year-old college cricketer, spent an entire weekend playing under the…

Every morning, millions of people begin their day with a ritual that has become almost automatic: a handful of supplements swallowed with hurried sips of water before rushing to work. Vitamin D for immunity. Magnesium for sleep. Iron for energy. Protein for muscle. Omega-3 for the heart. The wellness industry has trained people to ask one central question: What supplement should I take? But nutrition scientists are increasingly focusing on another question that may be just as important: When should I take it? Because in the human body, timing is not a minor detail. It can change how effectively a…