From a high profiled finance job in the United States to millions of followers on Instagram – please tell us about your journey.
While working in the US last year, I realised that India unfortunately lacks health-literacy. While education is given a lot of importance in India, but people are not health-literate. People are not aware about the basic things related to health such as artificial sweeteners, colours, calories etc. That’s when I decided that I will raise awareness about health-literacy and packaged food, the very reason why I quit my job in the US and came back to India.
It is at this point when I started making videos where I highlighted the fact that how packaged foods are marketed versus the reality of such products. For example, a product that is being marketed as ideal for weight loss actually contains maida (flour) and sugar. My videos came as a shocker to many people who started realising that what they have been eating throughout their life could actually be harmful! Hence my videos started going viral with people translating them in several languages, as these were originally made in English. Now, people call me a food safety and health crusader.
Do you like being addressed as a social media influencer?
First of all, anyone who has influence is an influencer, whether you are a politician, a cricketer or an actor. What I do not like is the connotation of the term in today’s time. Sometimes people do not take you seriously because of that term and your work gets devalued. In that sense I don’t like it. Some people even call me a de-influencer because as compared to what an influencer does, I do just the opposite. While they promote brands, I speak against the same.
You openly speak against brands, you have exposed several brands and their products – What are the challenges that you face?
Obviously it is very challenging because I openly take names of companies and I don’t blur their logos as it is against my policy, so people get shocked at how I do this! Eventually, I started getting public support. My parents were initially stressed thinking about the consequences I will have to face. At that time I had quit my job, so there was no income and on top of that I had to bear legal expenses. It was a stressful period but I think with time and people’s support, things have gotten better.
You have raised your voice against several famous brands, and lawsuits have been filed against you for fighting which you have to bear a cost, and maybe regularly visiting the court – How do you manage this?
It is quite difficult. After coming back to India, I had zero income for a year. In the US, thankfully I had a very good job, had good savings, so I did not have to struggle much. Then I had to start trying to find ways to make money because I could not survive on my savings anymore. Since then it has been a struggle. Several people have offered to donate for my cause but I do not accept donations. I have been approached by multiple food brands to promote them but I declined because I wish to remain honest and unbiased. So, I try to find avenues such as being a paid speaker for an event. I try to find ways in which there will not be any conflict of interest and I can also earn enough to support myself. Every day I am offered a lot of money for something or the other and I have to keep saying ‘no’ to them.
As a health crusader, where do you see yourself in future?
Maybe I cannot comment about my ultimate goal at the moment but I can talk about where I want to see myself in the next five years. My five-year goal is to get health as a subject in every single school in their classes, so that we can become health-literate. I want to see health as a subject in schools just like we study History and Geography. I have spoken to the head of ICSE Board regarding this.
I want to say something here. India is referred to as the ‘Diabetes Capital of the World’ and in a few years our country may also be known as the ‘Cancer Capital of the World’. And to combat this problem, we are focusing on building more hospitals, subsidising medicines etc. Diabetes will not reduce by building more hospitals, diabetes will reduce once people start becoming aware about what causes the disease. We need to focus more on preventive healthcare. This is why I keep emphasizing on the necessity of health-literacy.
What is your ultimate goal in life?
My life’s goal is to add as much value as possible to the world and try to help in reducing as many big problems as I can. There are four biggest problems which I wish to start with – Animal Cruelty, Extreme Poverty, Health and Climate Change. I am focusing on health for now, as I grow older I will focus on the other three issues as well. I don’t have any specific path in life; I take it one day at a time.
How do you do your research about products, which one is safe to consume and which one is not?
I try to keep it very simple. Whenever I talk about a product, I always refer to the ingredients list and nutrient label at the backside of the pack. Because, this is where companies themselves have printed which ingredient is present in how much quantity. So, later, when a court case is filed against me, the company cannot refute my claims because they only have printed that label which I am referring to in my videos. Unfortunately most people do not read this label and only see what is written in the front of the product, which has marketing tricks like it will help you lose weight, it will make you tall, it has zero sugar etc. The reality lies at the back of the pack, and I just bring it in front of the public. I have got lab tests done for several products but unfortunately companies have claimed my reports as wrong or pointed out errors and filed cases against me.
You have pointed out several products, which we have been consuming since years. If we stop consuming the same now, what alternatives would you suggest?
Unfortunately, in the present day, there are not many clean alternatives available in the market, which are pocket-friendly and affordable for the middle class. People have been consuming junk food for years, so companies have been manufacturing the same. But as I have been raising awareness and several others are also doing the same, alternatives have started hitting the market in the last couple of years. More start-ups will come in the next 3-4 years which will sell healthier alternatives. And I always advise people to follow what our grandparents’ generation ate, because they used to eat very healthy. For example, I would suggest choosing coconut water over soft drinks. I also offer tips to people about how to choose the right kind of packaged food.
You have started a new show ‘Rethink India’ – what do you want to highlight through this?
What I have noticed is that in most shows, podcasts etc. always only famous people are invited as guests. But no one calls people who earn less than Rs 30,000 on their show- these people comprise 90 percent of India. So basically, we are not listening to the voice of India. Hence, I am trying to invite people from different income groups and strata on my show, who can be rich or poor and share their viewpoint on a certain topic. This will help us to break our biases and change our perceptions around people who we interact with every day. Every episode of ‘Rethink India’ will highlight one topic.
