India's health is being assaulted by a worrying new challenge lately - Non Communicable Diseases (NDS), that are slowly sickening a nation that, in less than a decade, will have the youngest workforce in the world.
The single, overwhelming reason for this is that the transition of a country like India from a traditional way of life to a more frenetic global pace has been too fast, too soon, too drastic. Even the most cursory glance at current lifestyles will reveal that the food we eat has changed, the hours we work have become unconventional, the time we spend on activities outside the home and office has shrunk, our connection with traditional staple foods has been severed as has our relationship with nature.
Already, a huge part of India's billion-plus population suffers from heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
"Every person dies of a heart attack and the unfortunate part in our country is that 80% of them are preventable," says Shivinder Mohan Singh of Fortis.
By 2020, just six years from now, India will be the youngest country in the world with over 60% of its population of working age. Statistics say that a majority of them will be living with one or the other of these diseases.
Armed with this early warning, what is it that we can do to buck this dangerous trend? What pre-emptive measures can we take?
NDTV's proactive new nationwide campaign with healthcare giant Fortis has some answers for you.
'All you need to do is walk 30 minutes a day' is one of the simple mantras of Malvinder Mohan Singh of Fortis.
Deepika Padukone, who supports living a healthy life, is a strong believer in sleeping well. "I think we also underestimate the power of sleep. Eight hours of quality sleep can make a huge difference to your day," she says.
Watch the NDTV FORTIS HEALTH4U campaign and learn about the many little lifestyle shifts that will help create a healthy us, a healthy nation.