Living up a Lifestyle: How a Teen Socio-preneur is Demystifying a Disease

Have you ever wondered, how would life be without your daily carbs intake of wheat bread, bun, pita, or a pizza base? Our modern fast food lifestyle is adding to the numbers of people suffering from a lesser-known disease in India. A 17-year-old teen, Annika Dhariwal, has pledged to demystify this disease for the Indian populace. HerMoneyTalks caught up with Annika over how she is singlehandedly taking on a lifestyle disease, and winning.

Currently, a student of grade 11 at the Cheltenham Ladies College, UK, Annika was diagnosed with Celiac disease when she was 9. That was when her family noticed she suffered from malnutrition. This disease was not diagnosed properly in India and it was in the US that doctors revealed she had it.

Finding her calling

Girls in their late teens typically have fun with friends, enroll in art, music, or dance classes, or get adventurous. However, Annika is not your typical teen. She has dedicated herself to spreading awareness regarding the disease amongst Indian high school students.

This teen socio-preneur has taken it a step further and founded her own social enterprise called Gluten Free Jio. She started addressing the students in the schools of the Tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula), by conducting live sessions since 2019.

I strongly believe that every story shared brings us one step closer to a cure.

Unrelentingly, she also conducted online webinars jointly with renowned nutrition experts of the region during Covid times. Such is the driving force behind her effort to help improve the lives of the people with a similar condition.

She has been diligently documenting her journey across various government schools and community organizations across the Tricity. Her website glutenfreejio.com and its Instagram profile have become her canvas for showcasing her interactive and educational sessions.

Joining hands with Beyond Celiac

With a firm resolve, she says “I strongly believe that every story shared brings us one step closer to a cure. I am so excited to announce that I am officially on board as an ambassador for Beyond Celiac to raise awareness levels about the disease.’’

I want more and more people to know that they are not alone in their fight against this disease.

Continues Annika confidently, “I want more and more people to know that they are not alone in their fight against this disease. They can learn from my experiences and narratives to tackle life and come out as winners.”

Annika also hopes to inspire someone to develop their own awareness through her journey. “Just have confidence in your abilities and move forward backed by a strong business case. Always trust your mission and never be afraid to ask people for their advice.”

The barriers women face

Annika feels fortunate to have been diagnosed at the age of nine when many parents or children are either ignoring symptoms or are ignorant of the disease itself. On her Gluten-free journey, she has had her share of challenges. When she was diagnosed with Celiac disease, little did she know about its management.

Travelling with this disease was also quite challenging as ensuring gluten-free food over flights was difficult. Due to language barriers, her celiac-related requests were often misunderstood or forgotten. But with time, she became confident at letting people understand her needs and maintaining a gluten-free diet.

For women, it is easier said than done when it comes to starting their own business.

As a budding teen-preneur, Annika understands the hurdles in her path and is sensitive towards other fellow women entrepreneurs too. She is aware that for women it is easier said than done when it comes to starting their own business.

There is a constant pressure to be taken seriously and to make the right calls. Women usually have a perception that men are the leaders and they need to follow them. Annika feels they need to have confidence in their abilities to run a business.

HerMoneyTalks wishes Annika the very best in her noble social endeavor in enlightening the masses to go for timely diagnosis and management of this disease.