Meet Dr Debananda Das, a resident of Berhampur city. Now he is paying a heavy price for falling victim to tobacco consumption when he was young. Das, who is now forced to live with the consequences of oral cancer, has taken up the cudgel against tobacco consumption.
On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day (May 31), Das was seen at traffic squares, and roadsides creating awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption among the people, particularly youths.
Despite being highly educated, Das fell victim to the bad habit of tobacco consumption when he was young. Few years later, it was when his doctor told him that he was diagnosed with oral cancer, he felt the whole world came crashing down around him, stood rooted to the spot.
After spending money like water and suffering pain at that, he recovered, but temporarily.
Das has now taken a vow to devote the rest of his life to create awareness among youths so that they would not have to experience the pain he had undergone.
“I don’t want anyone should undergo the pain I experienced for six-and-a-half years. This is why I am out on the road to make people aware of the harmful consequences of tobacco consumption,” said Das.
Dr Debananda Das is not alone repenting for falling victim to tobacco consumption. Kalipada Das, a cancer patient who is a resident of Dhamnagar area in Bhadrak district, is also cursing himself for consuming tobacco in his young days.
After doing rounds of several hospitals for treatment, he has now taken shelter at Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack, leaving everything at the mercy of God.
“I request all to give up the habit of consuming tobacco products and save their future,” appealed Kalipada in teary eyes.
There are rules and policies to wean youths off the bad habits of tobacco consumption, but, when it comes to their implementation, it is found the government is found talking the talk and not walking the walk.
The government rule bans selling of tobacco products within 100 meters of schools. But such banned products are being sold in open in front of schools, pooh-poohing the rule.
City High School in Berhampur can be taken as an example. There is a shop just in front of this school where tobacco products are being sold openly, with hardly any fear of punishment.
In Jeypore also, such banned products are being sold near educational institutions.
“I condemn the way shops near educational institutions are selling tobacco products violating the rule,” rued a Jeypore resident.
The scene at Balasore bus stand is more disturbing. Here the shops are selling tobacco products, paying scant regards to the rule. They say at first the manufacturing units should be taken to task.
“We are running our families from selling these products. Instead of targeting us, the manufacturing units are to be punished first,” said a shopkeeper in Balasore.
Notably, according to the report of the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year 80,00,000 people are dying from cancer caused by tobacco consumption. In 2020, 14,00,000 people died in India alone.
Despite the fact that consumption of tobacco invites one of the 17 types of cancers, no concrete step is being taken to stop the manufacturing of such products.