Saturday May 24 2008 13:16 IST
Saranya Chakrapani
"KIDS as young as three recognise cigarette ads. India and China that are the easiest targets of tobacco companies, owing to the massive chunk of teenage population,” said Dr Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan, Trustee and Director- Community Services, Sundaram Medical Foundation, Dr Rangarajan Memorial Hospital.
On the eve of `World no-tobacco Day’, Canstop, a registered charitable organisation providing cancer support therapy has lined up a series of events to spread awareness on the hazards of the tobacco epidemic and this year, their main target is the youth.
This is in sync with the World Health Organisation’s theme for the World no-Tobacco Day : `Tobacco Free Youth’.
A press brief to launch the events, held in the city on Thursday, was attended by photographer/cinematographer Sharad Haksar, Mithran Devanesen of MTC Productions and VJ Paloma.
Sharad Haksar, who will be displaying his photographs at the exhibition, revealed that he is working on a series of five images.
“All the photographs have only cigarettes. I’m trying to convey the dangers of smoking through this,” he said.
Mithran Devanesen, who would be directing the play reading said, “Smoking is one of the hardest addictions, I know, because I was a chain smoker myself. Now I’ve quit. The first half of the play would be pro-smoking, and the second half anti-smoking.” VJ Paloma from SS Music said, “Smoking is the biggest waste of time. I’ve done quite a bit of research on it and the statistics are shocking.”
Canstop,which is now completing ten years, organises regular programmes on a daily basis, including counselling for patients and family members, home visits, referrals, nutritional supplement schemes, a Can-wish project (a project in aid of underpriviledged children), Sponsor a Child project, blood bank and Drug bank.
“The main idea behind the project this year is to de-glamourise smoking from the way it is projected as ‘cool’ by the media,” Dr Vijaya added.
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