Watch any classic Hindi movie , one would hardly find any scene, any sequence, any dialogue by the star actors and others without a lighted cigarette with all smoke around perhaps it was a projection of ”manhood” and a fashion and even rather to impress the would be consort . Compare the same with the movies of the day , hardly would one find any such scene with cigarettes demonstrated as something of a speciality . It is largely due to the fact that smoking is considered as one of the greatest health hazards and most of the people who used to be chain smokers have bid adieu to smoking . However, the overall position in respect of the country in matters of quit smoking is not encouraging if statistics of The International Commission to Reignite the Fight against smoking and the World Bank are to be believed. Sadly, India is known to be as one of the lowest among smoke quitters in the world while being second highest among smokers of the most age groups of 16 and 64 years. It is despite the fact that cigarettes are highly taxed hence made costlier to discourage wide use but switching over to other ”cheap” modes due to an addictive habit, smokers continue to be more in the number in the country. As many as eight million people get killed due to smoking in the world and 200 million turn disabled or live a disabled life. We have a core number of 25 crore smokers in the country which must be a cause of concern to all especially looking to incidents of oral and lung cancers being on the rise as a consequence thereof. Government both at the centre and in sates/UTs cannot claim to having addressed the problem merely by getting statutory warning printed on smoke packs and prescribing a fine for smoking in public places. Much needs to be done where social, cultural, religious organisations and NGOs etc too must play respective roles in discouraging smoking
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