Diabetes: The Bitter Truth of a Sweet Life

This is an English translation of the original Hindi. Translation may have changed the meaning a little; the Hindi original is the authoritative version.

The sweetness we take for the ease of life has become, for tens of millions in India, a lasting pain. Diabetes is no longer only a disease; it is the result of a way of living — a way of living that has left health behind, somewhere between convenience, taste and the shortage of time.

India is now called the “Diabetes Capital of the World”. According to the International Diabetes Federation’s report published in 2023, about 101 million adults in India live with diabetes, and the number is feared to reach 134 million by 2045. Source: IDF Diabetes Atlas, 10th Edition, 2023

Young people in the cities, who sit before screens all day, whose food comes out of packets and whose sleep is lost in the light of a phone — they are becoming the easiest victims of this disease. Diabetes is no longer a disease of the old; it is the quietly growing pain of the young.

The shape of the disease, and its effect on society

Diabetes obstructs the body’s capacity to turn glucose into energy. As a result the level of sugar in the blood rises, and slowly it affects the eyes, the kidneys, the heart and the nervous system. A person with diabetes does not merely depend on medicine; every day they face the challenge of keeping control over their food, their feeling and their conduct.

Year	People with diabetes in India	Estimated rate of rise
2019	77 million	—
2023	101 million	+31%
2045	134 million (projected)	+33%

The way of living, at the root of the causes

The roots of this disease are not in the body alone but in our habits. Irregular meals, heavy food at night, too many sweet drinks, and no exercise — together these bring the body to a state where it can no longer regulate itself.

The scriptures say — “रात्रौ भोजनं रोगाय, दिवा भोजनं अमृतं” (eating at night brings disease; eating by day is nectar). This is not merely a sentence but a philosophy of life. In the Jain tradition, restraint in the timing and quantity of the evening meal is not only a religious observance but also a scientific means of protecting health.

The direction of a remedy

Freedom from this disease is possible not through medicines alone but through a reordering of life. First, food must be taken as medicine. Barley, ragi, raw vegetables and seasonal fruit — these are not only nourishment but the means of remaking the body. Restraint in the timing and quantity of the evening meal, discipline in the daily routine, and one day of fasting in the week — together these lead the body towards balance.

Yoga and pranayama are not merely the action of the breath but methods of waking the body’s energy again. Practices such as anulom-vilom, kapalbhati and vajrasana have proved extremely effective in controlling diabetes. Source: Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India – Yoga Protocol for Diabetes Management, 2022

Balance of mind is necessary too. Stress, anxiety and discontent produce hormonal imbalance in the body, which makes diabetes more complicated. The feeling of equanimity, the practice of silence, and self-acceptance help to balance the psychological side of this disease.

A call from the heart

Diabetes is a disease that slowly hollows the body from within; yet if a person is awake to it, the disease can also take the form of a practice. Restraint, discipline and self-control are not only religious values but the pillars of health. If we receive our food with reverence, take our daily routine as a practice, and understand the body as the temple of the soul — then diabetes will remain only a word, not a life.

Diabetes, commonly called “sugar”, is present today in some form in every Indian household. The disease is no longer limited to the old; it has reached the young, children, and even pregnant women. But it is not merely a biological disorder; it is a mirror of our way of living, our food culture and our mentality. India, which once followed measured eating, simplicity and the rhythm of the seasons, has today fallen to processed food,

instant satisfaction and an irregular routine. Diabetes is the result of that change — a disease that slowly hollows the body and fills the mind with fear.

The extent of the problem

According to the World Health Organization’s Global Diabetes Report 2024, the national ICMR-INDIAB study found a weighted prevalence of diabetes of 11.4% and of pre-diabetes of 15.3% among Indians aged twenty and above. The figure shows the large public-health burden of diabetes at the national level. About 50% of them are unaware of their disease, and by the time it is found the body has already been damaged at several levels.

There are two main kinds of diabetes — Type 1, which generally arises in childhood, and Type 2, which is born of the way one lives. Cases of Type 2 diabetes are rising sharply in India, especially among the urban young.

The depth of the causes

The root cause of diabetes is not eating sweets alone. It is the result of a way of living in which:

• food is driven by taste, not nourishment
• the daily routine is irregular, and sleep neglected
• stress has become a permanent companion
• physical labour is taken as a mark of backwardness
• and most important of all — restraint has been given up

In Jain thought, restraint is said to be the root of protecting life. The Tattvartha Sutra says: “संयमो हि जीवनं” — restraint is itself life. Reference: Tattvartha Sutra, sutra 9.1

But life today is not restraint; it has become a festival of consumption. That is the mentality that gives birth to diabetes.

The effect on society and the family

The effect of diabetes does not stay within the body. The disease slowly affects the eyes, the kidneys, the heart and the nervous system. But graver still is its emotional effect — a continuous fear, a feeling of helplessness, and a social stigma.

In many families diabetes is hidden, especially in young people of marriageable age. The disease becomes an invisible wall that obstructs relationships, confidence and taking part in society.

The direction of a remedy

The remedy for diabetes lies not in medicines but in the way one lives. If we turn our life back towards simplicity, discipline and restraint, this disease can not only be controlled but in many cases reversed.

The main pillars of improving how one lives:

Measure	Level at which it works	Expected effect
Giving up the night meal	The family	Balance in blood sugar
Daily yoga and pranayama	Personal / collective	Greater insulin sensitivity
Natural food (barley, ragi, vegetables)	Food culture	Balanced nourishment, weight control
Managing stress (meditation, silence)	Mental / spiritual	Hormonal balance, greater confidence

Source: National Institute of Nutrition, Government of India, 2023

The place of policy and education

If diabetes is to be stopped, not only medicine but education and policy must be set to work. Nutrition education in schools, health sessions at workplaces, and the encouragement of a restrained way of living in the media — together these can build a culture of prevention.

NITI Aayog’s Health Vision 2030 proposes that India should adopt a community health model for preventing non-communicable disease.

A story that inspires: a life freed from sweetness

Vivek, a young teacher in Delhi, was found to have Type 2 diabetes at just 32. At first he increased his dependence on medicines, but when his vision blurred and his feet began to go numb, he decided to remake his life.

Vivek kept restraint in the timing and quantity of his evening meal, did yoga every day, and began a health conversation in his school. Today he is not only healthy himself; he is showing hundreds of students the way to a restrained life.

Conclusion

Diabetes is not a disease of sweetness alone — it is the result of an unrestrained life. If we bring balance into our food, our thinking and our daily routine, that can help to lower the risk of the disease, assist in preventing it, make treatment more effective, and improve the quality of life.

This chapter is a call — that we turn our life back towards restraint, simplicity and ease. Only then will we find that sweet life which is free of the bitter truth.