Reality bites

Sir — Reality always becomes more real, and dangers more alarming when put in figures. It is not as if health hazards caused by smoking were an unknown fact. However, the revelation made by the recent study, which predicted the death of a million smokers in India by 2010, has shocked everyone anew (“Smoke and lose 10 years”, Feb 14). With 120 million smokers and an abysmally poor quitting-rate of just 2 per cent, putting an end to the noxious habit in this country would be a Herculean task. The scenario becomes more alarming if we take into account the huge number of passive smokers who are also put at risk by direct smokers. The study has also refuted the prevailing notion that smoking fewer bidis or cigarettes is relatively safe. What we need is a complete ban on the cultivation of tobacco and production of tobacco items. The loss of revenue and employment in the process could never justify the withholding of such a ban. If the government succeeds in implementing a total ban on smoking, it would not only save millions of lives but also check expenditure on the public healthcare system. Since statutory warnings on cigarette packets have been futile so far, it is time now to come up with something more effective.

Yours faithfully,
G.C. Biswas, Barasat

Sir — For long, India’s anti-tobacco policy has suffered from political ambivalence. Therefore, it is not that the grim warning unveiled in the recent study has come all of a sudden. Whatever feeble attempts were made to enforce an anti-tobacco policy have failed to yield results: the proof lies in the fact that only two per cent of adult smokers quit. Moreover, the fact that young men and women are most prone to become addicts hold up many of the myths about smoking — that this habit is often a result of peer pressure, social influence and trendy self-fashioning. There is a law that prevents the sale of tobacco to those under 18 years of age, but how much of the law is actually enforced? And when we talk about the risks posed by tobacco, we often forget that apart from smoking, there is also the craze for consuming other tobacco products like gutkha. The advertisement and sale of gutkha seem to go on unabashedly, with filmstars involving themselves in such promotional campaigns. The government remains indifferent because too much control on the sale and publicity of these products would tell on the national revenue significantly. Had the printing of grisly pictures on cigarette packets been allowed, it would at least have made it known that the policy-makers are serious, even if these images do not have the desired effect on the consumers.

Yours faithfully,
Surajit Das, Calcutta

Sir — Is it all that strange that India has one of the poorest quitting records among smokers all over the world? The onus for such an appalling record rests with Bollywood celebrities and advertising agencies. The latest fashion statements of screen heroes have tremendous influence over the young generation. With actors smoking on screen and off it, and being photographed while doing so, their fans are bound to be drawn to the habit. If the government wants to reduce smoking, it has to begin with the film people.

Yours faithfully,
Sana Quraishi, Calcutta

Sir — The split verdict by a division bench of the Delhi high court on allowing smoking-scenes in films proves that cigarettes have become an intrinsic part of the Indian reality. Seeking clearance from the censor board before showing smoking on screen would not help people quit this habit. And youngsters will continue to be influenced by their heroes.

Yours faithfully,
Subhash C. Agrawal, Dariba, Delhi

Winter light

Sir — Mukul Kesavan in his “Matter of degrees” (Feb 14) writes, “…when a Delhiwallah gets nostalgic about Delhi, it’s the winters he remembers…” I would like to assure Kesavan that winter is similarly remembered with adoration by all ex-Shillongites as well. Whenever I meet my friends in Calcutta or elsewhere who, like me, were born or brought up in Shillong, we invariably spend some time reflecting on our memories, a major part of which always relates to winter. During our school days, the winters in Shillong were severe, and in spite of wearing heavy woollen garments and using the fireplace at home, they were inadequate protection against the bitter chill.

Every morning, a kind of pinewood stick had to be lighted and held at the water taps to bring out water from the frozen ice. The green lawns looked as if they had been covered with a white bedspread. Buckets full of water kept outside overnight would turn into large chunks of ice. All educational institutions had no option but to shut themselves for winter vacations that would run into a couple of months. During these vacations, hectic winter activities like picnics, cricket leagues and cultural functions were conducted in every locality. The gloomy sky or occasional drizzle could not dampen the spirit of the people, who were quite determined to enjoy every moment. The harrowing face of winter in cold places has an unceasing attraction for those who have had the chance of experiencing it.

Yours faithfully,
Srikanta Bhattacharjee, Calcutta