-Opinion-
Sachin Jyotshi-Education Consultant
🍟
— Welcome to Fit India, Fat India!
Sagar Watch News / In a country that once taught the world how to eat healthy — from millets to ghee to seasonal fruits — we have now proudly reached a point where Kurkure is more easily available than apples, and cola reaches villages faster than clean drinking water.
S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM, recently pointed this out with the innocence of a man who still believes common sense exists: “Industry should push healthy options.”
How sweet.
How naïve.
Almost… childish.
Because in today’s India, if a child walks into a shop and asks for a banana, the shopkeeper looks at him like he’s requesting Bitcoin. But ask for a packet of chips? Brilliant! You’ll get ten flavours, three sizes, and one free sticker. Even the chips have more variety than our school syllabi.
Look at our school canteens. Instead of fruits, they offer fried triangles, sweetened drinks, and mystery-coloured puffs that can glow in the dark if exposed to Wi-Fi. No one knows if they’re made of corn, plastic, or recycled birthday balloons — but hey, at least they’re “masala flavoured.”
Meanwhile, companies selling these snacks enjoy a level of freedom that citizens can only dream of.
No strict sugar regulations.
No proper chemical checks.
No warning labels.
But of course, a fruit seller must fear municipal raids more than multinational corporations fear cancer reports.
Compare this to Japan, where vending machines sell bananas, and supermarkets have entire sections dedicated to fresh, cheap produce. Europe practically bribes its citizens to buy healthy food — subsidies, regulations, and clear labeling. In Canada, a child drinking soda daily will earn that look from parents that Indian parents reserve for scoring 50%.
But here?
In India, you can find chips in temples, cola in school bags, and instant noodles in government offices. In moments of emergencies, forget ambulances —
chips and cold drinks reach first.
And then we wonder why India is becoming the world’s obesity capital, diabetes capital, and BP headquarters. What else do we expect when children eat more preservatives than actual vegetables? Even adults now have blood groups like B+ (Biscuit Positive) and Coca-Cola Compatible.
So yes, Mahendra Dev’s statement matters. Because someone finally said out loud what every belly in India knows: we are slowly killing ourselves, one snack packet at a time.
It’s time the food industry stops selling “happiness” in a packet and starts offering health on the shelf. And maybe — just maybe — fruit should not be more expensive, harder to find, and less fashionable than junk food.
Until then, welcome to Incredible India:
Where Kurkure has better distribution than bananas, and diabetes has better marketing than discipline.
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