Kaisar Ahmad Malla
As you step into the oncology ward of SKIMS Soura, the air is thick with unspoken stories. The silence there is the loudest sound you will ever hear. It is broken only by the quiet beep of machines and the muffled sobs of a son comforting his father. A young boy, no older than ten, sits on a hospital bed, his tiny hand clutched tightly by his mother. His once bright hair is gone, shaved away for chemotherapy and his wide eyes reflect fear and confusion too heavy for his age, should be playing in orchards, not fighting for his life in a hospital bed. You see the hollow eyes of spouses, their love tested in a way they never imagined. In the corner, a father lies motionless, drained from treatments, his life’s strength ebbing away day by day. Each face tells a story of courage, heartbreak and unimaginable struggle. This disease is not just attacking bodies, it is tearing at the very fabric of our community. A 40-year-old orchardist from Pulwama, who spent his life under apple trees, is now battling bladder cancer after years of pesticide exposure. A young mother from Baramulla, diagnosed with breast cancer, wonders if she will see her children’s next birthdays. Teenagers, barely out of school, are losing their futures to blood cancers.
Cancer is ruthless, it does not judge a child by their smile, a young adult by their hopes or an elder by their years. It strikes without mercy, indifferent to caste, creed or faith, leaving hearts broken and tears uncounted.
The stark reality
The numbers are a chilling backdrop to this human tragedy. Recent data shows Jammu and Kashmir has one of the highest cancer rates in the country, with over 70,000 people fighting this battle and thousands more joining them every year. Each one is a story. Each one is a life interrupted. In 2023 alone,1,640 new cancer cases were detected in the Kashmir Valley, marking a 10–12% increase in diagnoses compared to previous years. Between 2013 and 2023, SKIMS recorded 44,112 cancer cases, while SMHS Hospital documented 6,379 cases from 2017 to 2023.These numbers are not just statistics, they represent lives interrupted, families shattered and futures uncertain.
Among women, breast and ovarian cancers are on the rise, particularly in younger age groups. Experts say this surge is linked to a combination of genetic predisposition, hormonal changes, delayed pregnancies, sedentary lifestyles, obesity and environmental exposures.
How our choices invite cancer
While genetics play a role, environmental and lifestyle factors are significant contributors to this surge. Prolonged exposure to harmful chemicals, indoor smoke, tobacco use, environmental pollutants and lifestyle choices all play a role. Sedentary lifestyles, processed foods and lack of physical activity weaken the body’s natural defences. Even what we eat and breathe can subtly influence whether cancer takes root in our bodies.
The pesticide dilemma
Generations of farmers, who once nourished the Valley with their fruit, are falling prey to illness. Experts link this rise to the unsafe use of pesticides. Pesticides and use of inorganic fertilizers in agriculture are common. Unprotected exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of cancers like leukemia, bladder cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Farmers often enter orchards with bare hands and uncovered faces, spraying chemicals without masks, gloves, or protective clothing. Often, they enter orchards immediately after spraying, inhaling toxic fumes. Children play nearby, oblivious to the danger. Empty pesticide containers are discarded carelessly, contaminating soil and water. Over time, repeated exposure accumulates silently in the body, manifesting as cancer in its cruelest forms. Doctors believe this repeated, unsafe exposure is one reason for the rising cancer graph in South Kashmir. It is not the fruit itself that is the enemy, but the lack of caution in handling the chemicals that protect it. Tradition with a hidden cost
Our cherished traditions, too, have a hidden side. Our winters add to the burden. The warm embrace of the Kangri in winter, a comfort for generations, can, over decades, leave a harmful mark. Kangris and bukharis, while keeping us warm, fill our homes with smoke that scars our lungs and cause certain type of heat burn and skin cancers. The Noon Chai that graces every guest’s table, a symbol of our warmth, now comes with a doctor’s warning about excessive salt and baking soda. Our winter stores of dried vegetables (Hokh Syun) and our growing love for fast, processed foods are adding to the burden on our health, even as our lives become more sedentary.
Tobacco and smoke
Kashmir has one of the highest rates of tobacco use in India, with nearly 35% of adults addicted. Tobacco alone is responsible for almost 40% of cancers here, according to health experts. The smoke from cigarettes and hookahs that fills our homes and cafes is not a symbol of modernity, it is a direct invitation to this devastation. We light a cigarette for a moment’s relief but pay the price with years of suffering. Air pollution, from dust, traffic and industrial emissions, silently damages our lungs and increases the risk of lung and other cancers.
Profit over health
Once pure and nourishing, it is now tainted. From adulterated milk to pesticide-laden vegetables and even contaminated water, we are feeding our families slow poison. The profit of markets is being built on the loss of our health. Our sedentary lifestyles, hours of scrolling, lack of exercise, fast foods only worsen the danger. We are trading our health for convenience, our future for short-term gain, while the very water we drink quietly undermines our well-being.
Chronic infections, certain viruses (like HPV and Hepatitis B),excessive sun exposure and long-term stress also play a role in increasing cancer risk.
Listen to the whispers
Your body sends signals. Please, do not ignore them:
A lump anywhere on the body that feels new or would not go away.
A cough or hoarseness that lasts for more than a few weeks.
A sudden, unexplained weight loss.
A change in how your body functions, like new digestion problems.
Unexplained bleeding or discharge.
A sore that simply will not heal.
Noticing these signs and seeing a doctor immediately can change the entire story.
Our shared duty
The power to prevent is in our hands. It is woven into our daily choices.
Choose fresh, local produce. Celebrate the bounty of our valley without the poison.
Enjoy our traditions wisely. Moderation is key, whether it is our tea or our winter foods.
Put out that cigarette. Choose life for yourself and your family.
A simple daily walk is a powerful step towards health.
Have conversations with farmers in your family about safer practices. Their health is our community’s health.
The final, crushing chapter of this story is often financial. A cancer diagnosis empties lifetimes of savings. Families sell their land, their jewellery, their very heritage to afford treatment, often far from home. The disease does not just claim health, it claims futures and leaves behind a legacy of debt.
Amidst this pain, the most hopeful chapter waiting to be written is the creation of a world-class cancer research and treatment centre here in Kashmir. A centre of hope that can offer our people the most advanced care and, most importantly, find answers specific to why our people are suffering.
The people in those hospital beds are the characters in our collective story. They are us. This is not a problem for others to solve. It is our story to change. Let us come together, with awareness and action, to protect our families. Our valley is known for its unparalleled strength and heart. Now, we must use that same heart to fight this unseen storm from within. Let our legacy be one of health, not loss.
Cancer is not waiting. Neither should we. Let our story be one of survival.
(The author is a health worker and can be reached at [email protected])
