We Don't Want No Cigarettes - Ergo

We don’t want no cigarettes

May 25, 2008

In a lead up to World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) which falls on May 31, CanStop organised a rock show at the YMCA grounds on Saturday to campaign cancer care, and to get to the bottom of it all, spread the word about smoking and its ill effects.

This year, particularly because the 2008 theme for WNTD is Tobacco-free Youth, CanStop is interested in targeting ‘the same crowd that would turn up for a rock show’, therefore the 16-30 age group. Dr. Arjun Rangarajan, coordinator for tobacco control, CanStop says “Individuals in this age group are constantly on the move, and it is easy to develop a habit at a juncture in their career or relationships.

This leads to peer pressure, which shows in smoke breaks at work or commencing smoking after a relationship break-up.”

Which is why, Dr. Arjun explains, that a band like Junkyard Groove (JYG) was called to spread the word on smoking and its dangers. “We all know that the band smokes openly at other venues, but they’re an icon in the city, and they’ll draw in the target crowd.”

In fact, there was a pledge board just outside the venue, where concert-goers were asked to sign to show support. Siddharth Srinivasan, lead guitarist for JYG also signed the pledge, not confirming if he would give up smoking, but is ‘trying’.

The two other bands who played funk rock bands Panatella and Gray Shack, who drew in their fan base, and surprisingly although JYG is the bigger band of the three, in terms of gigs and visibility, there weren’t many who remained for the latter’s performance. The moshpit had all but 25 fans, which brings us to the question – was the campaign a success?

Dr. Arjun says “Numbers don’t count. Tobacco cessation programmes abroad are tailored to an individual’s needs, and even if we get 1 person thinking about quitting, we’re happy.” CanStop helpline: 26284256