Redrawing the Family Line.
UnBlooded India helps people understand the genetic and health realities of consanguineous marriage — with evidence instead of fear, and without ever deciding for a family.
This began with one question, asked by one family.
Our founder, Charvi S., was diagnosed in infancy with a genetic condition that left her with permanent visual impairment. A clinical note from early in her life had pointed to possible consanguinity. Years later, she found herself living with the consequences of a genetic risk that nobody had fully explained to her family at the time.
That experience is not an argument against any community, custom, or marriage. It is a question about access — to information, to counselling, and to choice.
When a known or elevated genetic risk exists, do families actually have enough information and support before they make decisions that shape the next generation?— The question UnBlooded India was founded to answer
Five people, five backgrounds, one question.
Charvi S.
Founder Outreach & AwarenessThird-year B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) student at NLSIU Bengaluru. Researches constitutional law, disability rights, women's rights, public health law, and administrative law, with work on accessibility and healthcare regulation.
Abhay Surya V S
Co-Founder Research & CommunicationsLaw student at NLSIU with an interest in public policy, healthcare, human rights, and legal research. Works on research, legal and policy perspectives, and public awareness at UnBlooded India.
Aishwarya KM
Co-Founder Outreach & Social MediaPsychologist practising since 2024, focused on marginalised populations. Volunteers with NGOs uplifting people with disabilities and underprivileged children, through awareness, advocacy, and affirmative action.
Vanshika Aggarwal
Co-Founder ResearchThird-year BBA LL.B. (Hons.) student at Rashtriya Raksha University, with experience across law firms, courts, legal aid, and the Armed Forces Tribunal, plus national-level research and ADR recognitions.
Vivekananda T R
Core Team Member Tech & LogisticsThird-year engineering student at Dayananda Sagar University, Bengaluru. Brings a non-medical, non-legal perspective to UnBlooded India through research, resource-finding, and content.
Consanguinity raises probability. It does not decide outcomes.
Consanguineous marriage — between people who share a common ancestor — is practised widely in parts of India, especially in the south. It is not a disease, and it does not mean a child will be born with a genetic disorder.
The real concern is narrower and more specific: related partners are more likely to carry the same recessive genetic variant, inherited from a shared ancestor. When both parents carry that variant, their children have a higher chance of inheriting two copies of it — and developing the associated condition.
The World Health Organization recognises consanguinity as a factor associated with a higher prevalence of certain rare congenital disorders, and points to genetic counselling as a relevant preventive service where it's needed.
Consanguinity increases the probability of shared recessive genetic variants. It does not guarantee that a child will have a genetic disorder. Individual risk depends on the degree of relatedness, family history, and the specific conditions involved.
This distinction sits at the centre of everything we publish. We would rather be precise than alarming.
Not a marginal practice — and not uniform across India either.
Share of women in consanguineous marriages, from Kalam, Sharma, Ghosh & Roy (2024), Scientific Reports 14:22522 — a published analysis pooling NFHS-4 (2015–16) and NFHS-5 (2019–21) data. A separate published analysis of NFHS-4 data by Sharma et al. (2021, Journal of Biosocial Science) independently found the same pattern: prevalence considerably higher in South India than in most other regions. Figures like these describe patterns in survey samples, not a diagnosis for any individual or family.
Three pillars, working together rather than in sequence.
Awareness & Education
Improve public understanding of consanguinity, inheritance, and the services already available.
- Plain-language explainers on inheritance and carrier status
- Multilingual educational material
- Community and college workshops
- Resources built for parents, not just clinicians
Research & Policy Advocacy
Turn credible evidence into practical change in healthcare, law, and public policy.
- Epidemiology, genetics, and social research
- Mapping access to genetic counselling and testing
- Legal research on marriage law and genetic privacy
- Policy briefs and government engagement
Family Support & Financial Assistance
Support families already living with an inherited condition — prevention and support must move together.
- Medical, genetic, and specialist referrals
- Navigation of government schemes and disability certification
- Need-based, transparent financial assistance
- Connection to family support networks
Respect for a tradition and concern for a health risk are not in conflict.
What guides us
- People deserve accurate information before consequential decisions
- Medical claims must be traceable to credible evidence
- We inform and support — we don't decide for anyone
- A genetic condition does not make a life less valuable
- No community is collectively responsible for a health pattern
- Genetic and family-health information is highly sensitive
What we will not do
- Diagnose conditions or offer medical advice ourselves
- Tell adults whom to marry or whether to have children
- Use fear as a communication strategy
- Attack any religion, caste, or community
- Exploit personal stories for fundraising
- Share sensitive family information without clear consent
We're building a Karnataka model before we build a national one.
Foundation
Build the founding and advisory team, verify every statistic we use publicly, and set privacy protocols.
Bengaluru pilot
Community and college sessions, provider consultations, and a first public-awareness survey.
Evidence
Publish the UnBlooded India Consanguinity & Genetic Health Report for Karnataka.
Policy & expansion
Policy briefs, government and institutional partnerships, and a model for South India.
What we publish, as it happens.
Our YouTube channel is launching soon
Conversations with geneticists, lawyers, and families on consanguinity and genetic health. Episodes will appear here as they go live.
Our first public statement is in progress
Position statements and press notes will be posted here as UnBlooded India begins public engagement.
UnBlooded India Consanguinity & Genetic Health Report — Karnataka
Our first research report, covering prevalence, awareness, healthcare access, and policy recommendations for Karnataka.
We're organising founding volunteers into seven small teams.
Legal & Policy
Lawyers, law students, and policy researchers.
Medical & Genetics
Doctors, geneticists, and genetic counsellors.
Research & Data
Researchers, statisticians, and students.
Community Outreach
Social workers, educators, and local volunteers.
Communications
Writers, designers, and journalists.
Fundraising & Finance
Finance professionals and grant researchers.
Technology & Operations
Website, data systems, and admin infrastructure.