Dr. Kunti Nagwekar.
Count the hours your eyes spend on screens today. Now count the hours they spend looking at something far away. For many of us, the second number is shrinking. A widely cited projection published in Ophthalmology in 2016 estimated that 49.8% of the world's population, about 4.76 billion people, will be myopic by 2050, up from 22.9% in 2000.
The researchers pointed to lifestyle changes, mainly less time outdoors and more near work, and urged regular eye exams for children, preferably each year. It is a projection rather than a certainty, but it explains why eye care is suddenly everyone's business.
For Mumbai-raised Dr. Kunti Nagwekar, it is a subject she has lived with for decades. An educationist and corporate trainer, Dr. Kunti has taught Eye Yoga, a practice aimed at improving vision, since 1996. Dr. Kunti's doctorate, titled "Mind and Vision", explored through experiments how the state of the mind can positively or adversely affect eyesight.
The path there was shaped early. Dr. Kunti was born and raised in Mumbai, to Professor Haribhau Hanmante, Dean of the JJ School of Arts, and Geeta, a school teacher. Studies at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Dr. Kunti says, transformed life completely and sparked an interest in spirituality. A 27-year stint as a lecturer at a premium Mumbai institute followed, before voluntary retirement.
Retirement became a new beginning. Dr. Kunti Nagwekar founded Sampoorna Wellbeing Technology Private Limited, running workshops on Eye Yoga, Creative Visualisation, Parenting as a Path to Love, Positive Study Habits and Healthy Living. The Creative Visualisation course, on the power of the subconscious mind, was sponsored by The Times of India, and Dr. Kunti has taken it to corporates, business owners, the Armed Forces and film personalities.
Then came a turning point. On 18 February 2023, Dr. Kunti met Premavataar Maitreya Dadashreeji, whom Dr. Kunti calls a Paramguru and Divine Friend, and says life changed at every level: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Today, Dr. Kunti is a full-time Sevak with the MaitriBodh Parivaar, the organisation Dadashreeji founded.
Dr. Kunti says the bond with the Divine began at the age of five. Many people, Dr. Kunti noticed, see the Divine as distant, silent and judging. Dr. Kunti's message is the opposite: the Divine lives in the heart and can be spoken to like a close friend.
That conviction fills Dr. Kunti's first book, My Divine Talks To Me!. A lifelong reader, thanks to parents who loved books, Dr. Kunti had wondered as a teenager about writing one. Decades later, Dadashreeji asked for it, and the book was written in just 36 days, at a pace of three to four chapters a day.
Readers responded. In eight days, 160 paperback copies were sold at the ashram, by word of mouth alone, and many readers bought copies to give to friends and relatives. The book also earned a recognition award from the International Council of Authors. Its heart is simple: personal experiences of a loving, ongoing relationship with the Divine, through moments of love, grace and surrender.
Next up is a very different title, Eye Care for You, which brings Dr. Kunti's decades of Eye Yoga teaching to the page. Dr. Kunti is also learning more about AI every day and tries to stay updated on emerging trends.
Challenges, Dr. Kunti says, have been part of the journey. The lesson: life goes on as it is meant to, and "if the Divine is with you", you can overcome difficult situations and live a full life of joy and celebration.
A practical note for readers: eye exercises are not a substitute for a professional eye check-up. Specialists recommend regular exams, and one of the researchers urged children to spend more than two hours outdoors a day to reduce the risk of myopia. Looking up from the screen, it turns out, is a good place to begin.
