A 'Ban' smoked away

By karishma Karki, Anubhooti Panda and Mohd. Reyaz

Prachi Dutt (name changed) was 10 years old when she tried smoking for the first time. Since then, ‘let me try it once’ has became a habit. Today, eleven years later, she cannot stop smoking even on her college campus, although the university has been declared a smoke- free zone.

Like Prachi, there are many others who openly flout this ban in various colleges and universities across Delhi. And they seem to have no qualms about it.

Rahul (name changed), a student of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) said, he is sure he would not be caught because he is certain authorities don’t care. “Everyone smokes openly here; even the staff and professors indulge in it. And no one says anything, neither the guards, nor the administration.”

Anand Kumar, a guard at the university concurs. “Students do smoke in the campus. But they hide the cigarette when they see us,” he said.

Apam Kharingpam, an Assistant Professor at the same university believes that smoking zones should be created at various places in the universities, just as in restaurants and airports. “The government earns a lot of money from chain smokers like me. So, I think it is hypocrisy on the part of the government to ban it in certain places and to sell it at others.”

Though the law is being openly defied by many, authorities seem to be sitting pretty after installing hoardings and banners everywhere. Professor Gurmeet Singh, the Proctor of Delhi University says, “We conduct regular classes and awareness campaigns to sensitise the students. More than going behind the students with a stick in our hand, we believe in educating them. We conducted a survey after we started the campaign. And the results show that 23 percent of the students have quit smoking after the campaign was started.”

But going by the number the people who smoke in the campuses, the ground realities seem very different. Monika Arora, Director of Hriday, a NGO working with students against smoking, questions the validity of the claim. “I don’t know how scientifically proven that survey is.”

She, however, agrees that the government and the administration are doing their best to spread awareness about the no-smoking campaign. “Change cannot be brought overnight. But going by the no-smoking hoardings and banners that have come up in the city, it appears that University administration and the government are putting in a sincere effort.”

A possible reason why the students are taking the ban lightly could be that the authorities have not been harsh while implementing it. Though the ban has been in place for quite some time now, there have been no strict actions as of yet in these universities.

Mukesh Ranjan, Assistant to Proctor of JMI says, “I am aware that the university is a smoke free zone. But I have got no official instruction yet on as to how to go about implementing the ban.”

Gurmeet Singh says, “A student can be fined Rs.200 if caught smoking in the campus. But there have been no fines as of yet because we do not want it to be a punitive effort. We want the students to understand for themselves.”

Whether the students understand or not, the fact remains that personal choices of a few are putting the health of thousands at risk. And the open defiance of the law by the educated masses goes on to prove that it is high time that stricter measures are taken so that bans like these are effectively implemented.

Quick facts

• India is the second largest producer of tobacco in the world.
• 25 crore population in India are regular tobacco users.
• Tobacco worth Rs 24,000 corers is sold annually.
• The government has to spend Rs 27,000 corers annually on free health services to offset the harm caused by it
• Every 30 seconds, one person in India dies of diseases related to tobacco or gutkha.
• Every two seconds, 1 Indian child tries tobacco for the first time.
• 4 million children below the age of 15 years use tobacco regularly.

Sources: Data compiled from the Ministry of Health and Women Welfare, Government of India, American Cancer Society, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), The World Health Survey, 2003.

Kathak Mahatosav-Showcasing the classic Indian culture

A week long Kathak festival, held at various places across Delhi ended on 29 March. The festival was organized by the Kathak Kendra, a wing of the Sangeet Natak Academy. The festival was a treat for its patrons and was a showcase of India’s culture to the MTV generation that is perhaps not much interested in this rich tradition of cultural expression.

Artists from various cities such as Pune, Mumbai and Kolkata participated in this Mahaotsav (festival) that was dedicated to late Rohini Bhate ji, the great Kathak exponent. The entry was free and all shows were houseful. The crowd cheered equally for the young disciples and their elder gurus.

Many foreign tourists had also dropped in to have a glimpse of the classic Indian art form. Tanya a cultural enthusiast from Russia said that she felt ‘rejuvenated’ after the performance and even showed her interests in learning the fusion of Kathak and Sufi.

What was saddening though was the lack of sponsors despite a heavy footfall. Sangita Chattejee, a trained Kahtak Dancer lamented on the disinterest of the corporate world.

Geetanjali Lal, the great Kathak exponent herself and a Kathak trainer at the Kathak Kendra, had no complaints though. “The Government allocates enough funds to organise festivals and to train people. So we don’t face any real problem”, she clarifies. She also expressed her happiness on the successful accomplishment of the festival.

Simply Spice!

   By Kriti Gupta and Mohd. Reyaz

                                        

Al Bake is an eating joint in New Friends Colony Market (NFC) that has become an institution in the city of Delhi. Its main serving is minced chicken rolled in bread called shawarmas. While, traditionally a Lebanese concept, the shawarmas at NFC have been Indianised and are a rage in the capital.
                                         
Ten years ago, Ishrat Beg came to India with her husband from the Gulf. While she was excited about leaving Saudi Arabia, she realized that the one thing she would miss was the shawarmas. They had become a part of her daily diet. Not willing to give up her addiction, she decided to start a small food place where they would sell shawarmas rolls.
                                           
On the first day they sold two rolls. Now, they have a daily footfall of over 200 people. The family has opened two more joints in the same market. From husband, wife and the two sons working to make ends meet; Today, they hire 30 employees and offer a variety of cuisines – Chinese, Mughlai and so on.

                                           

Their main connoisseurs are young people. Students at Al-Bake came from far and wide. A group of three young people came especially from Faridabad just to enjoy the rolls. Hogging on the food, they said, “We could spend all day here. We really like the food.”

                                        

                                               

                                  
Mrs. Beg says that the student population keeps the joint running, “Our main focus therefore, is good food, low prices and basic hygiene.” The food is good indeed as can be seen by the number of people present at any given time.
                                              
The prices attract the youth. But hygiene is a different matter altogether. The kitchens are cleaned daily. The establishment tries as much as possible to improve the conditions under which food is prepared.

                                     
But the preparation process itself seems to be dirty. Dry, cut meat lying around on floors, cockroaches and so on are easily visible. Young people say that since ‘the food is cooked and so completely delicious’, they don’t mind. They swish away flies with the dismissive wave of a hand.

Irrespective, people seem to come in large numbers to enjoy the delectable taste of the shawarma rolls. And Mrs. Beg can boast of starting with nothing and becoming a successful thriving entrepreneur!