Ritayan Mukherjee

Author

Priti David

Editor

Binaifer Bharucha

Photo Editor

large_HP-COVER-IMAGE-RM-No learning curve in young India’s spine.jpg

medium_HP-COVER-IMAGE-RM-No learning curve in young India’s spine.jpg

small_HP-COVER-IMAGE-RM-No learning curve in young India’s spine.jpg

thumbnail_HP-COVER-IMAGE-RM-No learning curve in young India’s spine.jpg

HP-COVER-IMAGE-RM-Scoliosis is bending young India's spine.jpg

It was Sebanti Roy’s dance teacher who first noticed an asymmetry in her student’s shoulders. The aspiring dancer’s movements were off. Shortly after, the then 13-year-old was diagnosed with scoliosis. “Initially, I was oddly enthusiastic about the diagnosis, as my childhood idol, Hrithik Roshan [a famous film star known for his dancing skills] shared the same condition,” Sebanti recalls laughing.Roshan’s scoliosis was diagnosed when he was 21, and he was told he would never dance. Scoliosis causes the spine to curve sideways. Everybody has regular curves in their spines, but in kids and teenagers with it, the spine – or parts of it – curve abnormally in the shape of an ‘S’ or ‘C’.The teenage Sebanti travelled from her home in South 24 Parganas to Kolkata to have surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The procedure involved the insertion of two rods and 14 screws in her back to straighten her spine.“I don't feel a thing now,” she says, 12 years later. “Life is normal. I learnt to live with scoliosis and got back to normal life,” she adds smiling as she speaks. We are sitting on the roof of her grandfather’s home in Diamond Harbour, a town in West Bengal where the Hoogly passes before it empties into the Bay of Bengal.While Sebanti’s scoliosis caused her to be awkward, for millions of other patients, the disease is painful, debilitating, and can lead to heart issues and breathing discomfort. For patients in rural areas, even the first step of getting the right diagnosis is a challenge.

Like Mohammed Jamil’s (name changed) a young boy from Salar town in Murshidabad who lived with severe pain. His parents who work as migrant labour, in both agricultural and construction, had lost hope of their young teenage son ever walking again. They told PARI, “Jamil had lost mobility. The spinal deformity compressed his nerves and muscles. He was in pain and weak, unable to bear weight.”However, a lucky break got them a meeting with senior spine surgeon, Dr. Saumyajit Basu. And in the summer of 2022, Jamil underwent surgery, and took his first painless steps.Sebanti too, her back and posture rectified, went on to perform on stage and has built a career as a theatre artist – a testament to her resilience, and the remarkable human capacity for healing. “I have done several stage performances with my theatre team,” she tells me. Behind her lie props from her shows, stored on the roof.“We travelled,” the 25-year old adds, emphasising the normalcy she reclaimed. And scoliosis, a dreaded condition that once threatened to rule her life, became a mere footnote.

When the fastest man in the world – Usain Bolt – revealed in his autobiography that he had scoliosis, the disease got an international face. Bolt’s uneven gait is now the focus of a research <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://blog.smu.edu/research/2017/06/27/does-symmetry-matter-for-speed-study-finds-usain-bolt-may-have-asymmetrical-running-gait/">study</a> looking into the biomechanics of the 100 and 200 metre Olympic champion.Worldwide, the occurrence of scoliosis is quite high – two to four per cent and it affects girls more than boys. In India, there is both a lack of awareness and ignorance, says this <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8902575/">report</a> published in 2022. AIS is not the only form of scoliosis – there is congenital, neuromuscular and degenerative.

As a spine surgeon, Basu has seen many patients come too late, or remain undiagnosed. “Many doctors among us don't have a clear idea. How many articles have you seen or read about scoliosis? Even the Indian government is yet to publish data on it,” says Basu, former president of the Association of Spine Surgeons of India (ASSI). This lack of data and information is holding back support for those affected, he adds.Scoliosis is typically detected through physical examination, including the observation of posture and spinal alignment. It is confirmed and measured using x-rays to determine the curve's severity. But if you live in rural West Bengal, a basic x-ray poses a challenge as there is a two-thirds shortfall in the positions for radiographers in the state (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/library/resource/rural-health-statistics-2021-22/">Rural Health Statistics 2021-2022</a>). Only a third of Community Health Centres (CHCs) even have a radiographer.Further, after the x-ray, consulting a specialist is almost impossible as the shortfall of specialists in rural area of the state is seriously alarming – only six per cent of positions are filled. Locating qualified medical professionals specialising in scoliosis detection is a further challenge for patients in rural areas. This along with the long wait times for appointments, holds families back from reaching out.And then there is the misinformation and misguided advice that anxious parents and patients receive.Khokon Paik says wrong advice not only prolonged their daughter's suffering but also depleted their savings. “I have spent between two and three lakh rupees. It’s a big amount for a person like me,” says Paik who earns around Rs. 8,000 a month pulling a goods cart in Patharpratima village. Most families like his raise money for medical treatment through private loans which come with high interest rates.

His daughter, nine-year-old Soma Paik initially complained of pain in her back, and soon life was a daily struggle. “The increasing pain made it difficult for her [Soma] to hold a pen,” recounts her father, sitting in their small kuccha house in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Her school work suffered, and that further distressed her and her family.The pain worsened over the years, eventually robbing Soma of her mobility; she was unable to even breathe properly. The family became increasingly desperate to find a solution, and over the next three years they consulted healthcare providers and explored different treatment options. This was emotionally exhausting and a big financial strain.Khokon Paik vividly remembers the day they finally reached the Spine Research Foundation (SRF), a moment filled with both anticipation and anxiety. SRF is a non-profit in Kolkata that has been funding spine surgeries for underprivileged families over the past 16 years.“It's so lovely to see our daughter back on her feet again. We never imagined the surgery would be so successful. Thanks to all doctors, we are blessed,” her father tells PARI.Filmstar Hrithik Roshan was fortunate to be diagnosed early and the right exercise could fix his scoliosis. But for Soma, the lost years meant surgery was the only option. “If detected early, there is seldom a need for an operation. We can fix the curve of a spine just with the help of brace or simple exercises. For us operation is always the last option, adds Dr. Trinanjan Sarangi. A neuro-anaesthesiologist and founding trustee at SRF, he has seen more cases than he can remember in his 15 years of working.“An operation is a huge financial burden for families – deformity correction operations could cost between 5 to 15 lakh rupees,” he adds. The number of surgeries, the choice of imported or local screws, the recovery time in hospital, all add up. Insurance companies generally don’t cover the cost of scoliosis surgery, he points out, even though this is not a cosmetic surgery, but a prophylactic one.

Surgery was also the only option for another young girl from South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Fifteen-year-old Minakshi (name changed) lives in a rural area and was unable to access an early diagnosis.“My daughter couldn’t stand for more than 10 minutes at a time and had lost her strength. It was heart breaking to see our once energetic girl unable to get out of bed,” says her father, Nirmal Sarkar, a resident of Diamond Harbour. Working as manager in a fish storage unit here, he earns around Rs. 10,000 a month. The cost of surgery for his daughter was equal to six years’ salary. “We were struggling. We lost hope,” he told PARI, speaking at the bustling fish storage at Diamond Harbour, West Bengal.A chance introduction to SRF changed that. “Two weeks after the operation, my daughter was back on her feet. Now, she's all set to take her Class 10 examination,” says the joyous father. And the girl who had lost the ability and strength to walk, now cycles to school everyday.

All the doctors I met were emphatic that educating children and parents about the disease is critical to arrest the condition. SRF has initiated a screening programme in underprivileged schools in and around Kolkata. “Surgeons associated with us visit the school clinics regularly at their own cost,” says Dr. Saumyajit Basu.In his bi-weekly clinic dedicated to scoliosis, Basu sees around 40-50 patients. I was part of one such clinic where he was speaking to the family of a patient from Nadia district of West Bengal, explaining how the braces had not halted the progress of scoliosis, and why surgery was crucial to save her mobility and even her cardiorespiratory functions.

I watched parents struggling to ask questions, but also fearful of the answers: “Can she go to school? Can she go to swimming classes again? What if she can't walk again?”Basu reassured them but also cautioned: “the things your daughter can't skip are the exercises.” He added that a physiotherapist from their team would be in touch throughout the recovery process.Post-operative physiotherapy is the last mile. I joined Shouvik Ghosh, a physiotherapist visiting a patient who had undergone surgery in December 2024. His happy manner is an instant reassurance to his patients.We went to a slum in Hooghly district where 14-year-old Sahana Parveen (name changed) lives with her parents. As we stepped inside the room 10 x 12 feet, we quickly spotted the young girl walking around without any support.Sahana beamed with joy on seeing Ghosh whose team has visited her multiple times following her scoliosis surgery. She paused briefly mid-stride to say: “Ever since I had the surgery done, no one looks at me differently. I feel very comfortable and confident. And I will definitely do the exercises.But now I am going upstairs to feed the pigeons.”

Scoliosis is bending young India's spine

स्कोलिओसिस : 'यंग ईंडिया' च्या पाठीवरचा वेताळ! 

اسکولیوسس سے پریشان ہندوستانی نوجوان 

স্কলিঅ’ছিচে কাঢ়ি নিছে বহু যুৱ ভবিষ্যত   

యువ భారతీయుల వెన్ను వంచుతోన్న పార్శ్వగూని

নবীন ভারতের শিরদাঁড়ায় স্কোলিওসিসের ঘুণ

યુવાન ભારતની કરોડરજ્જુને બેવડ કરતો સ્કોલિયોસિસ

स्कोलियोसिस ने झुकाई भारत के युवाओं की रीढ़

ಯುವ ಭಾರತದ ಬೆನ್ನುಮೂಳೆಯನ್ನು ಬಾಗಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಸ್ಕೊಲಿಯೋಸಿಸ್‌

ഇന്ത്യൻ യുവതയുടെ നട്ടെല്ല് വളയ്ക്കുന്ന സ്കോളിയോസിസ് 

ਭਾਰਤ ਦੇ ਬੱਚਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਰੀੜ੍ਹ ਨੂੰ ਟੇਢਾ ਕਰਦਾ ਸਕਿਓਲਿਸਸ ਰੋਗ

இந்தியாவின் முதுகெலும்பை வளைக்கும் ஸ்கோலியோசிஸ்

ଯୁବ ଭାରତୀୟଙ୍କ ମେରୁଦଣ୍ଡ ବକ୍ର କରି ଦେଉଛି ସ୍କୋଲିଓସିସ 

स्कोलियोसिस ले झुकत भारत के नवा पीढ़ी  

नयका पीढ़ी के रीढ़ के झुका रहल बा? 

Kolkata

medium_MOBILE-COVER-IMAGE-RM-No learning curve in young India’s spine.jpg

small_MOBILE-COVER-IMAGE-RM-No learning curve in young India’s spine.jpg

thumbnail_MOBILE-COVER-IMAGE-RM-No learning curve in young India’s spine.jpg

MOBILE-COVER-IMAGE-RM-Scoliosis is bending young India's spine.jpg

At present, we can only accept donations in Indian rupees by Indian citizens. All donations made to the CounterMedia Trust are eligible for exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Here is a copy of our exemption certificate.


India is bigger than New Delhi. And people need to know more about the rest of this vast nation.


Younger, media-saturated generations are growing up knowing little about their country, but a lot about the elites of a few metros and towns. For a narrowly-owned, commercially-driven media, the dumbing down of a nation is part of standard operating procedure. The last available data of the Centre for Media Studies (CMS, Delhi) show us that reports from New Delhi account for 66 per cent of news on the front pages of major dailies. The CMS data also found that just about 0.24 per cent of front page news came out of rural India. The TV channels are not much better.PARI exists to change that.We are a non-profit organisation. We publish under creative commons, and do not charge readers a subscription fee or put-up advertisements. Nothing is behind a paywall and we are completely free-to-access by anyone. We guard our independence and receive no direct grants from governments and corporations, nor any funding that could dictate our content. So, we are dependent on volunteer labour, donations from individuals, foundations and institutions that see value in independent and free media.PARI is changing the way Indian journalism reports and documents the rural.India is more than the elite of a few metros and towns. We report on rural lives and livelihoods, languages, communities, migrants and more. We need your help to pull off this most ambitious of Indian journalistic endeavours. The scale of this effort costs money. Donate generously - and spread the word about PARI.&nbsp;

Donate FAQs


Let’s get you acquainted

Welcome to PARI

All our content is, and will forever be free to consume. If you enjoy our work, you can support us by becoming a volunteer or by donating to help fund our work.

Want to republish this article? Please write to <a href="mailto:zahra@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">zahra@ruralindiaonline.org</a> with a cc to <a href="mailto:namita@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">namita@ruralindiaonline.org</a>

Scoliosis is bending young India's spine

Millions of young Indians are born with spines that curve, causing a loss of mobility and debilitating pain. Early detection is vital

Related stories

A rain-scented walk in Sivagangai

Living on ravaged land

Biswas and the bamboos on his bike

Recycling energy, Godda style

Bhadels of Goa

Pookadai: still throbbing with morning life

Koli Kadlas

Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study

Wheels of the rural Indian West

Living Under a Red Cloud in Bellary

Vedla – earrings of the Maher community

Dreaming of water, drowning in debt

Kali: the dancer and his dreams

Farmer's diet worse than a convict's

In Yavatmal, life goes on

Suicides are about the living, not the dead

Death of a carpenter

Hoisa Shigmo!

Women farmers: weaving a life in Anantapur

Defiant in Dhinkia

Spice and all that's nice

Kerala's Green Army

The ‘jugaad’ not-a-mobile

Health as someone else's wealth

Calibrating in a Kudumbashree assembly unit