At just 15 months old, he was already stumbling. Pale, tired, and barely eating, the toddler had stopped playing like before. His mother, worried by his frequent falls, took him to the doctor. Blood tests revealed what they hadn’t expected: severe megaloblastic anaemia, caused by a lack of vitamin B12. The cause? A diet low in animal products, prolonged breastfeeding, and a lack of awareness.
His case is not rare. And the numbers paint a grim picture as well: more than 60% of children in India are anaemic.
The numbers paint a grim picture. More than 60% of children in India are anaemic.
Anaemia doesn’t shout. It drains slowly, affects energy, memory, growth, and learning. It affects futures, especially in rural communities.
So, we wanted to help people understand this hidden crisis. And thus, we turned to illustrated storytelling.
The Story Behind the Script
To begin, we examined the data closely. The script starts with the basics, what anaemia is, and how it harms. Anaemia is caused by a lack of healthy red blood cells. It leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, pallor, and dizziness.
According to NFHS 5 (2019–21), 67.1% of children, 59.1% of adolescent girls, and 52.2% of pregnant women are anaemic. Moreover, five states have the highest burden among children: Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Punjab.
In response, the Government of India launched the Anaemia Mukt Bharat programme in 2018 to tackle the crisis. Its goal was to reduce anaemia among pregnant women from 50% to 32% by 2022.
Telling a Silent Story Through Visuals
Instead of writing a long report, we created a series of illustrated pages that are clear, human, and easy to follow. Anaemia can be hard to explain. So we used clear visuals to help simplify the science.
We didn’t just want to share numbers. We wanted to show lives, how anaemia affects real people, in real places.
As Simit Bhagat, founder of Simit Bhagat Studios, puts it: “Anaemia is a silent epidemic that is often overlooked. Our aim is to show the human aspect of this problem.”
Anaemia is a silent epidemic that is often overlooked. Our aim is to show the human aspect of this problem.
Moreover, this issue touches everything: health, education, income, and opportunity. And it’s still growing. This project is our way of highlighting what often goes unseen. Because if people can see it, they may start to care. And once they care, they might do something. That’s where change begins.
Let’s Tell Stories That Matter
At Simit Bhagat Studios, we use illustrated storytelling to make complex issues feel real, relatable, and impossible to ignore. If you have a story that needs to be told clearly, visually, and with heart, we’d love to help you tell it.
