This article explores the significance of health in Kashmiri culture, the impact of modern dietary habits, and the urgent need for effective market regulation and healthcare reforms to safeguard public well-being
By Fiza Aijaz Reshi
‘ZOV ORR JAHAAN ORR’ – a popular phrase in Kashmiri that means “health is wealth” or “health is the foundation of a happy and fulfilling life”. It also signifies that when health is good, the world is good. This small phrase holds vast meaning. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease. Therefore, we can say that when a person is physically, mentally, and socially well, they are regarded as healthy. Health is influenced by various factors such as lifestyle choices, genetics, environmental factors, and access to healthcare. To achieve good health, we should focus on a balanced lifestyle, including healthy eating, sufficient sleep, and stress management. Under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution and according to the Supreme Court of India, the right to health is a fundamental right.
In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:173), the Quran outlines prohibitions against consuming certain foods, specifically dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and animals slaughtered in the name of anyone other than Allah. This verse balances the strictness of dietary laws with recognition of human frailty and the need for survival in extreme circumstances.
In today’s modern world, people prefer to eat ready-made food from restaurants, hotels, and other places, mainly junk food. This trend is not only in Kashmir but worldwide. Many consume these foods without knowing their impact on health, whether they are permitted or not, whether they are hygienic or unhygienic, pure or impure, and where they originate from. Poor food habits and unhealthy dietary patterns contribute to a range of health issues, including unhygienic food preparation, handling, and storage practices among street vendors, which lead to contamination by bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These result in outbreaks of hepatitis A and E, gastrointestinal infections (food poisoning, stomach infections, diarrhoea, typhoid from contaminated food).
Changing dietary patterns from traditional to modern also contributes to rising lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, obesity, hypertension, nutritional deficiencies, and long-term health risks like liver damage, kidney problems, and cancer.
According to some reports, heart disease is the leading cause of death in Kashmir. It is said that 46% of all deaths in Kashmir are due to cardiovascular diseases. Another report indicates that 29.6% of deaths are caused by heart-related ailments in Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, statistics reveal that 25% of these heart disease-related deaths occur in the age group of 25 to 40 years.
Looking back into history, during the Delhi Sultanate, Shahana-i-Mandi – a market superintendent and Diwan-i-Riyasat, a market control department, was developed under Alauddin Khalji. He implemented a comprehensive system to regulate the prices of various goods and ensure fair trade practices and market checks. However, with the advancement of the world, such systems have become less common. Today, we see a lack of proper market regulation, price checks, and enforcement. Corruption persists from bottom to top, from manufacturers to dealers, and from markets to offices.
If markets were properly monitored, no one would even dare to tamper with the health and lives of people. In the first week of August 2025, hundreds of tonnes of rotten meat were found in the valley. The Food and Safety Department in Jammu and Kashmir conducted surprise raids, inspecting meat shops, restaurants, eateries, and hotels to assess hygiene and food quality standards. During this crackdown, they discovered large quantities of rotten and unhygienic food. Every day, shocking news emerges from across the valley. Instead of genuine meat, some vendors have sold dog, pig, donkey, and even dead animal meat. Tons of rotten and dead meat have been found discarded on riverbanks, roads, and near hospitals. The department seized hundreds of tonnes of unhygienic meat. This action was possible through a small step led by the Food and Safety Department. Regular market checks could have prevented such incidents, allowing us to live healthier, disease-free lives. If all departments—health, education, and others—awoke from their slumber and actively performed their duties, many issues could be addressed effectively.
For years, we have consumed unsafe, rotten, and unhygienic food from restaurants, hotels, and street vendors, often with alluring smells and tastes. This has cost us not only money but also our health and lives. Many end up in hospitals, where they encounter expensive private medicines, new drugs, and private doctors charging exorbitant fees. Our health and savings are drained in the process. Medicines are sold at inflated prices, and even in government hospitals, syringes are not provided; patients are directed to buy them from private medical shops outside. Why do we not raise our voices against the high prices of medicines and the working conditions in government hospitals? Reports suggest that around one lakh people in India lose their lives annually due to medical negligence. Is the health department unaware of this? Why do they not take action against soaring medicine prices and unregulated private clinics? Why do they not set up strict pricing and market regulation mechanisms?
Just as we have been served poisonous food for years, we are now taking poisons in the form of medicines to supposedly protect our health. Instead of safeguarding us, private clinics and pharmaceutical companies slowly bring us closer to death. We lose money, health, and even loved ones.
Recently, the Food and Safety Department has done commendable work. The people of the valley now demand that the next step should address medicines, private clinics, and education. Education, after all, is the key to success; it guides us towards righteousness, awareness of legal rights, laws, and constitutional remedies.
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