Becoming a social media influencer, CEO, and global influence was a process for Marko Danial. It did not take just one Instagram account made on a whim. But it did take one man’s determination to make his passion become the fruits of his labor. 

This is the story of Marko Danial, aka Pharaoic. 

Marko Danial, also popularly known as Pharaoic by his large following and social media network, has become the emerging social media star that not many can say they saw coming. Danial is a man with a million ways to successful digital marketing. 

When we asked how it all started, Pharaoic simply said, “A while back, I decided to start a sports account so that I could become more knowledgeable about sports,” Pharaoic said. “One day, I made a video about Kobe Bryant, and it went viral. From there, I continued to grow, and I then decided to start my own company, Spzrts” Pharaoic continued.

From a viral video, Danial led onto having many more and building a loyal following that engages with his content. Danial interacts with his audience as they have become his network for a business that he utilized to help make his client’s social media catalog globally. 

Generally, people undermine the strength of social media when it comes to serious business development. Marko created his own path by developing connections within social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and, more broadly, Instagram. He would build relationships all over the globe that would allow his audience to reach to grow higher and enable his influence to reach more volumes. 

However, he took it another step further, “I eventually created my own website, started making clothing designs and later on expanded my company into marketing,” Pharaoic said. “I run a few accounts for many of my clients, which includes many athletes and sports companies.”

He refers to his company as “one that was built on nothing but determination, smart-planning, and hard work.” His company, Spzrts, is a sports-based company that assists with anything in relation to it, from helping athletes grow across the globe to making athletic gear for many to sport at an affordable price.

Danial had developed into being a fanatic about sports following his move to the United States. From a foreign youth, he would become a young man who engages in everything related to sports and social media influencing. Pharaoic has made a long road for himself seemingly shorter than usual because of his unique approach to obstacles and adversity. 

While giving a glimpse of how he propelled through the many difficulties that came his way, Danial said, “For me, time management was the big struggle. It is sometimes hard for me to keep up with social media and study. I end up losing followers when I become inactive. But after a while, I was able to find a level of consistency to remain up to speed on all of my accounts. Now that I am a college student, I keep up with my social media whenever I have the time.”

As time management became an issue for Pharaoic, he developed vital methods to overcome that obstacle and motivates his following not to avoid the difficulties but embrace them. 

More times than not, you will see many who struggle to grow authentically on many of these social media platforms. Marko Danial has not fully vested himself into that as his main goal was to become more knowledgeable and produce content he hoped many would enjoy.

While his social media sees daily growth and incline, he still has a life that overshadows and imposes difficulty on him. Primarily, it strains Pharaoic socially being a college student and having the obligation of socializing and building a network of people that look to him for assistance and leadership. But while they look to him for that, Danial looks for new ways to improve and depict his future.

“I want to inspire and motivate people and show that anything is possible. Since I’m currently majoring in engineering, the ultimate goal is to be able to expand Spzrts, later on, and to be able to come up with new inventions and methods to help athletes.” 

Marko is a prime example of determination overpowering fear. His desire to motivate and influence is one many can aspire to be similar to him when speaking on aspects of his characteristics. 

To close out, we asked what he would say to someone struggling and hoping to be on the same path as him, “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, you can achieve anything as long as you work hard for it and never give up.”

When he started working for himself in 2009, He didn’t consider himself an entrepreneur; he thought of himself as someone who wanted to pursue his passion in his terms.

Freelancing is a common occupation today as compared to back in days. It was a tough decision when you are dropping your studies at that small age to become a full-time remote worker.

Aman was a data entry specialist and web developer until 2014 when he met a music director Ramandeep Singh known as Sound Shikari on Facebook. Ramandeep shared music distribution challenges for an Indie artist in India and Aman came up with an idea of starting his own music distribution company called Trendy Beat Network.

It took him 6 months to understand the complexity and about the digital rights management system. He started working with major record labels in the Punjab region which gives him exposure to the round zero situation and challenges. Not only the distribution but content piracy is making a huge loss to the right owners, which leads him to add Anti-Piracy services.

In May 2017, Aman started a subsidiary FMD Media which allows indie users to upload content directly. It was an instant hit and become very popular in India but there was a con, it does not allow instant registration. In mid-2019, Easy Distro was introduced. It is the only distribution service that pays 96% revenue while no setup or per release cost. The company now serves over 4100 clients in 190+ countries, which raised the status of the company from a distributor to an aggregator.

For 2020, the plans are even bigger and Aman is working on a custom web application that is designed for sub-distributors and allows them to use the services as a white label.

Aman also worked as a producer in Yeh Zindagi (Single Audio) by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Sahir Ali Bagga. He limited his Anti-Piracy service to some selected clients including Diljit Dosanjh for El-Sueno, SK Films for movie Race 3.

Being nominated to numerous awards, Aman grabbed position on Top 100 in Asia (2017) by Red Herring Inc, Startup of the Year by Golden Globe Awards.

Going from freelancer to entrepreneur can be a natural shift if you are prepared and approach it thoughtfully. While it may be scary at first, the magic happens outside of your comfort zone.

Within hours of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) a global pandemic, the Delhi government declared the closure of all schools, colleges and cinema halls in the Capital till March 31 as a measure to counter the coronavirus.
All existing visas (except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas) stand suspended till 15th April 2020. This will come into effect from midnight of 13th March 2020 at the port of departure. Visa-free travel facility granted to OCI card holders is kept in abeyance till 15th April 2020. OCI card holders already in India can stay in India as long as they want.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the Delhi government had shut the primary schools earlier this month, the secondary classes were left open in view of the exams. “All cinema halls to remain shut in Delhi till 31st March. Schools and colleges where exams are not being held will also remain closed,” he said.  Delhi has also declared coronavirus as an epidemic.
The Delhi government’s move came as the number of people affected by coronavirus in the country rose to 73, Kerala had the most cases — 17. Several states, including Kerala, have also shut educational institutions and crowded places like cinema halls.
In Maharashtra, where 10 cases have been reported, the government has banned ticket sales for the 2020 Indian Premier League opener between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. The match was to be held on March 29.
With over 118,000 coronavirus cases sweeping across 114 countries of the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly monitoring and reviewing the situation with the top officials of the concerned Ministries/Departments and States/UTs.
An official spokesperson said India’s response was initiated on 8th January, much before WHO declared COVID-19 as a public health emergency on 30th Jan, 2020. States were directed for health sector preparedness on 17th Jan, 2020. Same day, point of entry surveillance was also initiated.
Various measures have been taken by the Central Ministries along with States/UTs in terms of strengthened community surveillance, quarantine facilities, isolation wards, adequate PPEs, trained manpower, rapid response teams for management of COVID-19. Screening at airports was started on 17th January at 3 airports (Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata) which was extended to 4 more airports (Chennai, Cochin, Bengaluru, Hyderabad) on 21st Jan, 2020 and subsequently extended to 30 airports. All incoming passengers are being universally screened at the 30 airports. Similarly, screening was initiated for vessels arriving at 12 major ports and 65 non-major ports, an official statement said.
So far, India has evacuated 900 Indian citizens along with 48 belonging to other nationalities like Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh, China, US, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru.
In addition, 83 evacuees from Italy who arrived yesterday have been housed at Manesar facility for quarantine. All patients in the hospitals are being treated and reported to be stable.
On the directions of the Prime Minister, a high-level Group of Ministers was constituted to continuously monitor the situation and evaluate preparedness and formulate measures regarding management of COVID-19 in the country. The GoM has met 6 times so far, guiding, reviewing and monitoring the situation.
In view of the rapidly evolving situation, two meetings of the GoM were held yesterday. The GoM deliberated on various precautionary measures which may be considered in the interest of the citizens of India. Based on the recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries chaired by Cabinet Secretary, the GoM made some important decisions last evening which are as follows:
Meanwhile, visas of all foreigners already in India remain valid and they may contact the nearest FRRO/FRO through e-FRRO module for extension/conversion etc. of their visa or grant of any consular service, if they choose to do so.
Any foreign national who intends to travel to India for compelling reason may contact the nearest Indian Mission.
In addition to Visa restrictions already in place, passengers traveling from /having visited Italy or Republic of Korea and desirous of entering India will need certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from the designated laboratories authorized by the health authorities of these countries.
All incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, arriving from or having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany after 15th February, 2020 shall be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days.
Incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, are advised to avoid non-essential travel and are informed that they can be quarantined for a minimum of 14 days on their arrival in India.
Indian nationals are further strongly advised to refrain from travelling to China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany.
All incoming international passengers returning to India should self- monitor their health and follow required do’s and don’ts as detailed by the Government.
International traffic through land borders will be restricted to designated check posts with robust screening facilities. These will be notified separately by M/o Home Affairs.
All international Passengers entering into India are required to furnish duly filled self-declaration form in duplicate (including personal particulars i.e. phone no. and address in India) to Health Officials and Immigration officials and undergo Universal Health Screening at the designated health counters at all Points of Entry.
As of now, 73 cases are confirmed for COVID-19. Three of these cases from Kerala have recovered and been discharged.

Mr. Anterleen Singh Vohra was just 17 years old when he started working with his father, Mr. Rajwant Singh Vohra (MD, Fateh TV) in his TV entertainment business. Today, 23-years-old, he is now the CEO of Fateh TV and is using all his knowledge and expertise to upgrade the experience of television entertainment, one step ahead!

During these years, he kept applying all his latest knowledge and understanding as an intern to the business. That is why, at a very early age, he started managing all his family business and is now grabbing eyeballs for the work he is doing through Fateh TV.

He did his schooling from Sacred Heart Convent School, Ludhiana, and pursued Bachelor of Commerce while helping his father in his business side by side. However, he felt that he needed more international exposure and expertise in the finance field to flourish his business. So he decided to continue his further studies from the Queen Mary University of London and he did Masters in Finance. This international experience broadened his vision for the channel.

After finishing his higher studies, Anterleen is all set to expand his dad’s business on a global level. He is now able to handle the diversified family business and deal with the requirements of sectors like Cable Network, Hotel industry, and Television industry. Since he believed in quality over quantity of content, Anterleen Singh was instrumental in launching young-centric concepts like Raag Rattan (Music competition), Gatka Competition, Gursikh Stars to the channel. These shows not only targeted the young audience but also helped to inculcate the Sikhi values and sense of pride for Sikhism in them.

In this year Anterleen Singh is all set to launch two new channels for the audience, details of which will be released soon., 

The kind of work this young man is doing in the world of television entertainment is sure to set Fateh TV on the right path for the future.

S.Rajwant Singh Vohra is the Founder and Managing Director of Fateh TV 24×7 Gurbani Channel. Rajwant Singh was born in a Gursikh family deeply involved in Gurbani on 30th November 1964 in Ludhiana, Punjab. His father S. Pritpal Singh Vohra and mother Smt. Satwant Kaur Vohra raised him and his two siblings – S. Amarjeet Singh Vohra and S. Purshotam Singh Vohra in a very pious atmosphere and imbibed in them the preachings of the Gurus. He showed little interest in formal education but inclined the television industry. Thus, he moved to his mission towards television after completing his formal education. He was an academically brilliant student and displayed exceptional leadership skills. 

S. Rajwant Singh Vohra commenced his journey of the television industry around three decades ago when he collaborated with the ZEE network bring to Siti Cable in his hometown Ludhiana, Punjab. Having amassed plentiful experience in the television industry, he then ventured into an independent religious channel. He informs “I saw that there was the need for more impactful Sikh religious channels. I realized that most of the television industry was engrossed in the entertainment genre and youth’s interest in Sikh history-culture was getting diminished.” “On March 25, 2013, I dreamt about Nagar Kirtan coming to my place.”

And finally, Fateh TV was officially launched on 13Th April 2013 on the pious day of Vaisakhi. Named after Baba Fateh Singh Ji – son of Guru Gobind Singh Ji – Fateh TV has gained a colossal response from the audience, especially the Sikh Sangat.

Intending to inculcate Sikh religious and cultural values into the society by reviving the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Rajwant Singh went forward with the vision of Fateh TV and that leap of Faith has made all the difference. Mr. Singh has contributed greatly to the channel’s meteoric rise. Fateh TV is ranked among the top list of Gurbani channels around the Globe. Rajwant Singh informs, “The 24×7 Gurbani Telecasting channel has expanded extensively over the past 6 years spreading its wings globally. The countries which have availed from this channel’s presence include the USA, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, etc. In the previous year, Fateh TV acquired satellite rights from the Indian Government enabling it to telecast world over.” Furthermore, the channel can be viewed on various IPTV platforms. 

Under the Mentorship and leadership of Mr. Rajwant Singh Vohra, his son Anterleen Singh Vohra (CEO) is working on expanding the channel globally and introducing young-centric concepts such as Raag Rattan (Music Competition), Gatka Competition and Gursikh Star (Children program) to the channel so that young Sikh generation should get involved in Sikhism and inculcate the Sikhi values as they are the future of our community. In the year 2020, the team of Fateh TV intends to astonish its patrons with unparalleled shows that shall concentrate on Women empowerment, Children-Parenting, and Environment safety to create awareness among the audience for social issues and contribute towards the betterment of society.

Born in a humble household in Chennai, Sunny has come a long way in his career. Sunny did his schooling from Union Christian and Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School in Chennai. He graduated from Loyola College, Chennai. We got an opportunity to catch up with him after one of his events in Kerala. 

Talking about his preparations before his event, he says” Knowing the event, client and what type of music the client expects from you is important. There are no retakes, therefore to be a great DJ, extensive music knowledge is Important”  He adds “ Honing the craft is not a single day process. It takes years of practice and consistency” 

DJ Sunny Deepak has played for big-scale events which include Wedding Sangeeths, Round Table Events, Birthday Parties, Rotary Club Events to Club events. Having vast knowledge in music, Sunny enjoys playing English Retro to Bollywood to Commercial music. 

We asked Sunny a quick question: “ Which is your favorite Genre?”

“That’s a tough one ( Sunny Laughs ) When it comes to DJing, Although I believe in versatility,  I love to play Bollywood, Commercial and Retro the most but I do enjoy playing Tamil, Telugu, House, and Rock. 

”Where can people find your work?”

People can find my work on my website; www.djsunnydeepak.com or my Instagram handle: djsunnydeepak or simply type my name on Google/Youtube.

If you are familiar with contemporary Punjabi cinema, chances are you must have already appreciated blockbusters like Jatt & Juliet, Sardaarji and Punjab 1984. The production house behind such hit movies, the White Hill Studios, is the brainchild of two brothers, cousins actually, but thicker than thieves with each other. They are Manmord or Sunny Sidhu and Gunbir Sidhu. 

While producers are generally looked upon as money-bags only as far as the process of film-making is concerned, Manmord Sidhu or Sunny has changed the rules completely. With that, he has also changed the image of a Punjabi film producer. Suave and well-read Sunny’s contribution to the regional cinema is totally beyond the common perception. 

Speaking about his journey so far, Sunny says, “I am a Vancouver film graduate and was working as a line producer in ‘Jatt and Juliet’ when I learned that the film was open to investments by new producers. That’s when we both decided to take care of the film as producers. While I handled everything in Canada, Gunbir effortlessly took care of things back in Punjab. Eventually, Jatt and Juliet became a huge success and without our even realizing, we had become full-time film producers.”

The fact that Sunny has lived and studied in different locations in India and abroad enriches him with a unique skill set that he uses to handle human dynamics as well as generate content speaking about varied interests and personalities. When asked about why he focused on Punjab to realize his celluloid dreams, Sunny shares, “Punjab always had a vast pool of unleashed talent and I was very upbeat about the opportunities that our state offers. I wanted our land to produce films that were wildly appreciated in other countries as well. Luckily, Gunbir helped me take my vision forward as he knew inside-out of Punjab.”

Today, White Hill Studios is a launch-pad for stars like Sonam Bajwa and Diljit Dosanjh as well as a second home for veteran actors like Rana Ranbir, B.N. Sharma, and several others. Besides, the production house has also been creating new milestones along the way. For instance, their movie ‘Sardaarji 2’ was the first Punjabi movie to get branded on Coca-Cola bottles.

As they say, great minds create their history, the history being created by Sunny Sidhu at White Hill Studios is just the beginning!

Surrey Memes is a digital news/media and an entertainment company based in Canada and it was started by Sukhman Singh Gill in December 2018. 

Surrey Memes are best known for their viral video creation across multiple platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. He has over 120K followers on Instagram, including some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Surrey Memes publishes a diverse range of original and user-generated content – spanning editorial, video, documentary and live. Since its launch in 2018, Surrey Memes have posted over 3000 videos, pictures and generated more than millions of impressions on Instagram.

The channel covers a wide range of subject matter from the everyday laughs, world news and Punjabi media, to more in-depth campaigns around topics that matter to young people.

Sukhman stated that “I’ve always been a fan of memes and followed a lot of meme pages on Facebook/Instagram, and just one day I thought about making one of my own. I started posting memes on Instagram and the account grew quickly to 100,000 followers. Back then it was impossible to predict that this would become a full-fledged business. The team operates Surrey Memes like a daily show. We start by reviewing content submissions, checking out what’s new in pop culture and on the Internet in general, brainstorming and finally posting it on social media. Tons of celebs follow and engage with the posts where I talk to celebs via DM, for example, Pav Dharia, Sidhu Moosewala, Karan Aujla, Jassi Gill, etc. I and my team did some collaborations and we barely accepted any sponsorship offers until late 2019 to keep the brand authentic. Then we started forming brand partnerships at the beginning of 2020. We had more and more brands reaching out not to “advertise” but to be part of internet/pop culture. In this competitive world, you need to be smart to promote your brand and create a mark in this Digital world. We are working with most of the major music labels like Rehaan Records, White Hill music, Goldmedia on breaking new songs. We are measuring incredible results in music. Memes and viral sketches are significantly affecting people’s music playlists and searches on Spotify and YouTube. Instagram is a great platform to start. Finding your niche, posting content daily, collaborating with other creators – these are known and important tips to follow. I believe however that people are usually missing three other important points.”

“First, being an influencer is the outcome of being an exceptional content creator. It’s all about the character, talent, voice and art expressed in your content. People with large followings but not great talent usually have no real influence. Second, look at data. Surprisingly, many influencers don’t pay enough attention to metrics. A lot can be learned by measuring and “listening” to what the audience likes and shares. If one post got 1000 likes and a second one got 5000 likes, one has to figure out why. Third, don’t overvalue follower count. For many emerging creators, hitting one million followers is a goal. It’s a mistake. Having followers and engaged fans are two different things. Achieving the latter is the most important goal. That means that your audience sticks and follows you wherever you go”, sums up Sukhman.

It has been Sukhman’s dedication and hard work which has led him to where he is today with his media/news company. And he is an inspiration to all!

Social work  Background – Past 7 years have been working in Tribal areas in the interior of Maharashtra and Gujarat. I have been dedicating myself 2 days in a month  past 7 yrs in the interior of Maharashtra and Gujarat particular the Adivasi belt region understanding their needs and catering to it.

Last month while my Visit to surkoi (interirors of Gujarat) jhiila -Tapi, *MP (Member of Parliament ) Mr Prabhubhai Vasava felicitated me for my efforts in the region for upliftment in Tribal areas*

Initially started at small scale whatever little I could do for them and now  with support of family and friends  i have been able to take up projects like infrastructure development, Education kit distribution , clothes, medical camps, utensils,Grocery in all the areas closley working with Ahsram School were the children reside and study in house. These are ashram schools which are not supported by Govt.

Professional Background –  I put about about 21 yrs in the industry predominantly working with MNC medical companies in clinical sales and mktg (Novo Nordisk,1 Allergan, Baxter) and Currently heading  west and south of India in sales for a cosmetic

Clinical Research Background (personal innovation) – Have developed Organic skin care cosmetic research product under NPOP and USDA Guidelines for National and Export Purpose. My company name is *Shree Sutra* and soon shall be launching my products in skin in the market.

Gujarati Literature and My Gujarati Kavita featuring in Print Media – I pen down my creation in Hindi, Urdu ,English and Gujarati and Gujarati ???????? kavita is featuring in Media via Vapi Sanket News paper and Khothar na kangare newspaper in Bhavnagar.

The 2019 Global Hunger Index report should be an eye-opener for India as it has placed India at 102^nd   place out of 117 countries. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool that measures and tracks hunger globally, by region, and by country. 

On the other hand, UNICEF 2019 report highlights that malnutrition remains alarmingly high in India. Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to under nutrition.  The national report on Food and Nutrition Security Analysis, 2019, also brings out the paradox in a food-grain surplus India. While the food-grain production is rising in India, the malnutrition is not decreasing.  Indian is producing enough food-grains, making the country self-sufficient. Unfortunately, it does not reach the poorest 30% of the population doing hard physical works who consume 500 calories less than required norms. 

What this means is that there are capacity and demand, but faulty distribution and low supply to needy population. Should we be worried? Correspondingly energy and protein intake from cereals has decreased. According to report of National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, there is inadequate quantity & poor quality of food intake by children, pregnant and lactating mothers. As high as 70% pre-school and school children have deficient proteins, calorie and micronutrients.

Under-nutrition affects immunity adversely, increases the frequency and severity of infections, leading to increased number of deaths.

Speaking of deaths, neonatal mortality rate of our country is 30 per thousand live births. Almost equal numbers are born dead. Out of 1000 live newborn 40 infants die before celebrating first birthday, and 50 of them are not alive till their 5^th birthday. The number of fatalities in mothers during delivery, is whopping 250 deaths per 100000 deliveries, as per National family health survey 4^th report.

At the current pace of disjoined actions on the demand and supply of adequate nutritious food, and inadequate coverage of primary health care in rural/tribal regions, have we headed to a state of a public health emergency?

Wasting is a form of acute malnutrition. In an acute catastrophe like infection, energy requirement is met by burning muscle and fat tissue and they are wasted away.  Acute malnutrition is attributable to 15% of all child deaths. Children under five years having a “weight-for-height” ratio 2 or more standard deviations below the median are suffering from wasting or acute malnutrition. The severe acute malnutrition (SAM) may have presence of bilateral edema in addition to weight-for-height score less than 3 standard deviations from the mean weight of a reference population of children of the same height.  Every 5^th child is wasted in our country. 

Stuntingis a form of chronic malnutrition. The under-fivers scoring “height-for-age” ratio, 2 or more standard deviations below the median, are stunted. It is associated with an underdeveloped brain, poor learning capacity. India has an inter-generational cycle of under-nutrition. The prevalence of chronic malnutrition in India is among the highest in the world and is nearly double than that of Sub-Saharan Africa and has dire consequences of mortality, morbidity, educability, and productivity. Around 55% under five children are stunted. 

Underweight children score, 2 or more standard deviations below the median in “weight-for-age” ratio. We have prevalence of 52% underweight children in India.

Malnutrition in mothers: Every forth Indian woman has low (< 18.5 kg/m²) body mass index (BMI). Children born to women with low BMI are more likely to be malnourished at birth. The malnourished adolescent girls become the genesis of neonatal low birth weight. Therefore, appropriate nutrition in adolescence, pushing ahead the age of marriage and first pregnancy, nutrition during pregnancy are the keys to reduce low birth weight.

A most important period of 1,000 days from pregnancy until a child turns two years is a critical time for both, physical growth and brain development. Vision, hearing, receptive language, and higher cognitive functions like decision-making, emotional and social regulations are either developing rapidly or falling behind during this period. For this, some critical measures that need to be taken are: 

Newborns should have exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by complementary feeding. Complementary food should have high calorie density, must be semisolid, given in adequate amount, at least 3 to 4 times a day. There should be inclusion of cereals, pulses, fruits, roots and tubers. Our socio-cultural weaning practices of complementary feeding are grossly faulty. Intensive “community behavior change communication” program is need of the hour.

If the present nutrition situation prevails, it appears that 40% of our future workforce will not be able to achieve their full physical and cognitive potential. Unless nutrition is brought centre stage, India will miss out on its window of opportunity by failing to capitalize on its demographic dividend.

Indian Council of Medical Research report 2017, states that India has unacceptably high risk of child and maternal malnutrition. In stark contrast, the disease burden due to child and maternal malnutrition in India was 12 times higher per person than in China in 2016. This situation after decades of nutritional interventions in the country must be rectified by systematic and consistent interventions making adequate nutrition as one of the highest priorities for health improvement in India. 

The multipronged approach, that India needs to follow urgently to overcome the challenge of malnutrition include adequate supply of nutritious food, clean and safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices and behavioural change. 

Equally important is the fact that three fourth Indian population is rural/tribal. As many as 66 % of rural Indians do not have access to the critical medicines and 31 % population travels more than 30 kms to seek health care in rural India. Rural Health centers are critically short of trained health medical persons. We have 25% home deliveries, 60 % newborns do not have postnatal checkup by doctor in rural/tribal area and early marriages are a common feature, family planning measures are not followed hence big families is the scenario. 

In the context of the above observations prompt expansion of health-care providers in India is needed in rural/tribal region. Successful experiment in Melghat tribal region of Maharashtra have shown that the community health workers trained with focused, abbreviated intensive training with regular refresher training can conduct safe and clean home deliveries, community newborn care, treat diarrhea, pneumonia,  can conduct sessions for behavior change and can manage malnutrition in the community. The model should be replicated in larger regions.

(The author is MD; DCH, Ex-Dean & Professor of Pediatrics Consultant at “MAHAN” (Meditation, Addiction, Health, AIDS, Nutrition), Melghat, India. The views mentioned in the piece are personal.)