"Join the Quitters Club" - The Hindu Metro Plus Weekend

It’s like being ruled by an exceptionally smelly little wand. It dictates where you go, what you do, who you hang out with.

Being a smoker must be exhausting. Tearing off every long flight, so you can charge into one of those dreadful little gas chambers to get your fix. Or sneaking out of the office at regular intervals to smoke in the traffic. Or being unable to enjoy a party without lighting up.

Fortunately you can always quit. With ‘World No Tobacco Day’, which is on May 31, just around the corner, this might be a good time to literally kick butt. Arjun Rangarajan, co-ordinator of Can Stop’s anti-smoking campaign, says research has shown that most smokers really do want to quit. “Right now everybody who smokes is at least thinking about quitting,” he says, “I think there’s a lot more awareness, there’s more of a social stigma attached to smoking, and attitudes are definitely changing.”

It helps that it’s getting tougher and tougher to light up, with smoking banned in public places, and most restaurants and coffee shops discouraging smokers. “It makes it harder for people to smoke: giving them less room,” says Arjun, adding, “At the end of the day you can’t pull a cigarette out of their mouths. People should realise that their smoking affects everyone around them.”

As part of Can Stop’s campaign, Chennai photographer Sunder, will be participating in a photo exhibition alongside Sharad Haksar. “For my series for the exhibition I decided to go with pictures of an extremely fit and inspirational, non smoking dancer in his forties, jumping above cigarette smoke and beating age and time,” he says, adding that he doesn’t want to just scare people into giving up smoking, but would much rather try a more positive route.

The photo exhibition will be on at the Sathyam Cinemas on May 31 and June 1, after which it will move around the city as a travelling exhibition.

Meanwhile Can Stop is launching the ‘Quitter’s Club.’ Stating that the idea behind it is to put people who want to quit smoking in touch with each other, Arjun says that a recent survey they did at a rock concert indicated that about 90 per cent of the 200 people who filled their forms were smokers, out of which a large number said they wanted to quit. About 25 actually signed up for the club.

“It’s going to be need based,” he says, “There’s no point just giving lectures.” They’ll help with strategies, motivation and technical needs such as procuring nicotine patches, or gum. (For more details call the Can Stop helpline 26284256.)

SHONALI MUTHALALY

IQ - I Quit! - Mithran Devanesen ( Appeared in The Hindu NXG)

“A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite and leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?” Oscar Wilde in “The Picture of Dorian Grey”

A slave to tobacco myself for over 40 years, I worshipped at the altar of tobacco, like Wilde, smoking 40 cigarettes a day (on a good day and more on a bad day). When you are a smoker, somehow you manage to avoid reading all those articles in the press and the Reader’s Digest on the dangers of smoking.

My two brothers — both doctors — stopped sending me birthday cards. Instead they sent cuttings on cancer; to no avail. Those just landed in the wastepaper basket. The only respite in reducing the number of cigarettes was when I travelled to the U.K., the U.S. and Canada where they slammed a ’sin tax’ on cigarettes and the cost puts a huge dent in your pocket.

I did quit many years ago for two years. I was at a cocktail party and I thought, *It’s been two years; I’ve kicked the habit. So let me have a drag.” By the end of the evening, I had smoked four cigarettes; by the end of the week I was back at 40!

Nicotine is highly addictive but pressure from my brothers and my family doctor drove me to try to quit. I tried The Gum, The Patch, Holistic Healing, Reiki, Ayurveda and even Hypnosis. With each try, my smoking was like a yo-yo. Down on the first day of treatment and up again two days later. I used to dread long-distance flights but smokers are a crafty lot and will sniff out a smoking area even in the strictest airports at home and abroad.

Finally it was the US of A and my sense of pride that made me quit. I was visiting my daughter in Denver and she took me out to lunch at a very fancy Italian restaurant — fine Irish linen tablecloths and napkins, pure silver cutlery, crystal glasses and fine bone china.

After one of the finest meals I’ve ever eaten (I am bit of an epicure), I wanted to smoke and was told the only place I could do so was at the back of the restaurant. I went there, lit up and looked around at my surroundings — rotting garbage with accompanying aroma. I thought to myself , “You have really debased yourself coming here for a smoke after the plush ambience of the restaurant.”

I stubbed out my cigarette and threw the pack and lighter into the garbage can. And that was it. IQ and have stayed quit. Today I can sit in a room full of smokers and the thought of a cigarette does not even cross my mind. I went through no withdrawals, no case of the heebie-jeebies ;just sheer determination.

So if you want to quit and stay quit you can do it. Join the Quitters Club and, as the Beatles said, “You can get by with a little help from your friends.”

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

"No Smoke Without Fire " - Indian Express

No smoke without fire
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.

World No Tobacco Day

Canstop Video 2

Canstop Video 1