Ritesh Bawri’s Journey from 14 Near-Death Experiences to Reversing Chronic Illness

Health

oi-Susmita Sharma

By Susmita Sharma

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 18:06

"I genuinely believed I was healthy because I was not yet sick. That is a very common and very dangerous belief."

Kolkata-based entrepreneur Ritesh Bawri, Founder and Chief Science Officer at nirā balance, had built his life around ambition, long work hours, and constant performance. Like many urban professionals, he believed he was doing fine.

He wasn't.

By his mid-thirties, years of ignored warning signs had turned into diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and what he describes as 14 near-death experiences.

"I had been borrowing against my biology for years without knowing it, and the bill had arrived," Bawri says.

The slow signals we learn to ignore

The warning signs were never dramatic. They were subtle, easy to explain away.

• Fatigue felt like a workload.
• Poor sleep felt like ambition.
• Weight gain felt normal.

"It came gradually and then suddenly," Bawri says.

The shift began during a conversation with Professor Ravi Rajan, when his reports revealed a deeper issue.

"My lipid profile was a story of inflammation," he recalls.

That moment brought a kind of clarity that's hard to ignore. The problem wasn't new. It had been quietly building for years.

Ritesh Bawri's story doesn't exist in isolation. It reflects a growing pattern, especially among urban professionals, where people continue to perform, meet deadlines, and stay productive, even as their health deteriorates in the background.

When the body stops negotiating

What followed was not one diagnosis, but a phase Bawri describes as deeply disorienting.

"I had always believed I could solve problems through effort and intelligence. But this was different. My body had its own logic."

Alongside multiple conditions, he faced 14 near-death experiences. Each one made it harder to ignore what was happening.

Equally unsettling was the response he received.

"Every physician gave me a prescription and very little else," Bawri says. "Nobody asked what I was eating, how I was sleeping, what my stress looked like."

The system, he realised, was built to manage disease, not understand it.

And that gap is where many people remain stuck. Symptoms get treated, but the story behind them often goes unexplored.

The moment that changed everything

One conversation stayed with him.

An endocrinologist told him he would likely be on medication for life. The goal was management, not reversal.

"He was being honest within his framework," Bawri says.

But it did not sit right.

"I go back to first principles when conventional wisdom doesn't satisfy me."

That moment became a turning point.

"I decided to become the expert on my own biology."

From patient to researcher

What followed was not a quick fix. It was a shift in identity.

Bawri began studying physiology, metabolic health, nutrition science, and chronobiology. He also pursued formal education, including time at Harvard Medical School and Tufts.

"I do not make decisions based on what feels right or what is trending," he says. "Every choice is grounded in evidence, I understand."

He tracked everything. Blood markers, sleep patterns, heart rate variability, metabolic responses.

"It's not an obsession. It's a curiosity. I treat my body like a system that needs to be understood."

In a culture driven by quick fixes and surface-level advice, this approach stands out. It demands patience, attention, and a willingness to question what feels convenient.

The fundamentals that made the difference

Despite the depth of research, the changes that worked were simple, but consistent.

"The first was food quality and timing," Bawri explains.
He removed processed carbohydrates, reduced sugar, and aligned meals with his circadian rhythm.

"Within six weeks, my fasting blood glucose dropped."

The second shift was sleep.

"I treated sleep as non-negotiable. Seven to eight hours, consistent timing, and the right environment."

The third was movement.

"Not extreme workouts, but consistent, structured movement. Zone-two cardio, resistance training, and reducing sedentary time."

"These were fundamentals," he says. "But done with consistency and understanding."

It sounds simple on paper. In reality, it requires a complete shift in how one lives, works, and prioritises time.

The part no one talks about

The process was not easy.

"The first challenge was social," Bawri says. "In India, food is love."

Staying consistent around family gatherings and business dinners required balance.

Then came plateaus.

"There were phases where progress slowed. That is when most people quit."

But understanding the science helped him stay grounded.

"The process continues even when the data doesn't immediately reflect it."

There were also quieter, more personal questions.

"Was I being too rigid? Was this still a full life?"

It is a question many people navigating lifestyle change silently ask themselves.

What "reversal" really means

Over time, Bawri was able to reverse diabetes, hypertension, and asthma.

But he is careful about the language.

"Reversal is the restoration of normal physiology by removing the conditions that disrupted it," he explains.

"These are not genetic sentences in most cases. They are responses to an environment."

Change the environment, and the biology follows.

It's a perspective that shifts responsibility, but also gives agency back.

A story bigger than one person

Bawri's journey reflects a broader reality.

"We celebrate hustle, but we ignore what it costs the body," he says.

Across urban India, there is a growing group of people who are productive, driven, and outwardly successful, yet quietly dealing with fatigue, metabolic issues, and chronic conditions.

They are functioning, but not fully well.

Through his work at nirā balance, Bawri now works with individuals facing similar challenges, many of whom have been told their conditions are permanent.

"I have seen people restore normal function through lifestyle intervention," he says. "Science exists. The awareness does not."

Redefining what it means to be healthy

Today, health means something far deeper.

"It is the capacity to engage fully with life, to think clearly, to sustain energy," Bawri says.

Sleep, stress, relationships, metabolism. Everything is connected.

"Everything operates at the level of mechanism."

His upcoming book Upekkhā explores these connections between neuroscience, philosophy, and everyday living.

What began as a personal crisis has become the foundation of his work.

"And in a strange way," Bawri says, "I am grateful for it."

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.