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In conversation with Ritesh Bawri, Founder and Chief Science Officer at nirā balanceYears ago, a stark warning about his deteriorating health pushed Ritesh Bawri to confront lifestyle diseases head-on. What followed was a remarkable personal transformation: weight loss, reversal of chronic conditions, and a renewed sense of vitality. But Bawri didn’t stop at his own journey. Armed with academic training from Harvard Medical School and Tufts University, he set out to explore how evidence, tradition, and personalisation could reshape healthcare. The result was nirā balance, a wellness platform named after the Sanskrit word for “pure water,” symbolising clarity and flow. Here, Bawri shares why lasting health is less about quick fixes and more about balance, science, and sustainable change.1. When did your wellness journey begin?The idea of ‘nira’ struck us during a time when both our physical and personal needs became evident. We realised that these needs can be combined, creating a purposeful approach to wellness. In this fast-paced world, the question arises: how much time can a person actually dedicate to physical fitness? Is it just an hour in the gym, or perhaps a scheduled day dedicated to physical activities for the entire week? Who is responsible for suggesting the diet plan, and what scientific evidence supports it?So, we thought of ‘nirā balance’. And why did we select ‘nirā’? The word nirā comes from Sanskrit, meaning pure water. It symbolises flow, clarity, and life force that each one of us should focus on in life. Clarity of mind on a deeper level is difficult to achieve when we are not rested or attending to the physical needs of our bodies. This is one area where physical and emotional health reflect each other. Rest your body, and rest your mind to achieve balance and the flow capacity.2. What inspired you to create a hyper-personalised health platform?See, after studying physiology at Harvard Medical School and nutrition at Tufts University, and going through more than 700 reference books, over 6,000 medical journals, and completing certificate programmes, including a short course at Stanford University, I believe there needs to be something different in the way we approach personal healthcare. Isn’t this an era where everything is connected to technology? We have smart watches and all the gizmos, but do we really have the time? Who is deciding our diet? Along with our loved ones, someone you trust the most, perhaps a cook, also plays a vital role in this on your busy schedules. And how well can they know your physical goals and dietary plan? So, the idea of nirā, I think, is relevant and formed in my mind.3. How does nirā balance differentiate itself from others in the wellness space?We know many apps suggest a dietary plan, but how many offer one for your cook? See, we are not giving a generic plan applicable to a particular segment. We are personalising it for you according to your physical structure and body demands. Moreover, as we have mentioned in our #asknira campaign, we are directly guiding the cook or personal dietician to take you through the food programme as per your body requirements. We are also not making random suggestions, but using a pyramid of evidence, which means we rely on a hierarchy of scientific research where stronger, more thoroughly validated studies support our recommendations. We try to reach the root cause of lifestyle health issues, not just the symptoms. For example, iron deficiency can increase the risk of breast cancer six times. So rather than treating surface symptoms, we address foundational imbalances, which we call going to the root of the problem. That is what ‘nirā balance’ represents. Ritesh Bawri, Founder and Chief Science Officer at nirā balance4. Can you talk about the science driving the programme?Ok, let me exemplify this with the example of turmeric, which features in many global studies about diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, and heart health. We glean a meta-view from the analysis of multiple scientific studies and make sure that every aspect of the science we rely on is cross-disciplinary, evidence-based, and deeply researched. For the wellness of our clients, we always aim to stand out from the cluttered wellness market, and it is not the role of a nutritionist that we are exploring. Our motto is also different from that of a wellness practitioner.We believe in an evidence-based methodology which focuses on root cause diagnostics and suggests necessary outcomes, showing how they can be beneficial to the individual. It is the science of balance and the art of living well. Together they help an individual reclaim health and redefine life. The nirā balance app is more than a tool; it is a blueprint for lasting wellbeing, combining personal health data with nutrition science. In partnership with leading innovators in wearable technology, it supports lifestyle choices with precision and world-class care, while continuously tracking...
