Why wellness is the ultimate status symbol

A couple of days ago, I came across a line that I haven't been able to stop thinking about: “The high is no longer in the handbag, it's in the haemoglobin.”

- Shilpa Bhagat

And honestly, I think that one sentence perfectly captures where the world is headed.For the longest time, status symbols were external. A luxury bag, a luxury car, a luxury holiday. Wealth was something you displayed. But somewhere along the way, especially in the last few years, I feel the definition of luxury shifted from possession to optimisation. Today, the real flex is energy. It is glowing blood reports. It is emotional regulation, It is waking up without brain fog. It is having a resting heart rate you are proud of. It is being able to focus deeply, sleep peacefully, recover faster, and function better.

And if you ask me, this wellness boom was long overdue in India. Ironically, we come from the land that introduced the world to Ayurveda, yoga, mindful eating, circadian living, herbal healing, and holistic wellness long before the term “biohacking” even existed. Yet for years, wellness in India remained either inaccessible, misunderstood, or secondary to hustle culture.