A new study published in The Lancet has sounded alarm bells on the spread of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular ailments, diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory illnesses which now account for more than 60 percent of deaths in our country. Our public health narrative has been largely dominated by infectious diseases, malnutrition, and maternal health concerns. But today, the bigger killer is the lifestyle-driven epidemic that creeps in silently, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Jammu and Kashmir. Doctors in our part of the world have warned that Kashmir is witnessing a frightening surge in heart diseases, particularly among the youth. Unlike global trends, where heart attacks and strokes typically strike after the age of 55, in Kashmir these tragedies unfold at least a decade earlier. Men and women in their thirties and forties are increasingly being wheeled into emergency rooms with blocked arteries, damaged hearts, and failing systems. This is not just a health problem—it is a social and economic crisis in the making. What explains this disturbing pattern? Some experts point to a toxic mix of sedentary lifestyles, growing tobacco consumption, unhealthy diets, stress, and lack of awareness about preventive care resulting in this crisis. Our palate, traditionally rich in salt and fats, combined with the growing consumption of processed foods and fizzy drinks, is aggravating the crisis. Equally alarming is the near absence of regular health checkups, early screenings, or preventive consultations. Diseases are being caught late, when intervention is often too little, too late. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that our healthcare infrastructure is simply not equipped to deal with this tsunami. Cardiac care units are few, emergency response times are poor, and specialized doctors are concentrated in Srinagar, leaving large swathes of rural areas dangerously exposed. For every young breadwinner lost to an untimely heart attack, a family is pushed to the brink of emotional and economic despair. If we have to address this crisis, we need to change both our mindset and policy. Public health campaigns in Kashmir must move beyond posters and lectures to schools, workplaces and community spaces to spread awareness about diet, exercise and the need for regular screenings. Tobacco control laws must be enforced with an iron hand, and junk food culture needs to be curbed before it destroys our next generation. Equally, the government must invest in preventive cardiology and decentralize specialized health services so that timely intervention becomes a reality across the Union Territory. We can’t afford to become a valley of broken hearts. Unless urgent and sustained action is taken, non-communicable diseases will continue to steal our youth, weaken our workforce, and place an unbearable burden on families and the healthcare system.