Smoke'free' India?

I despise smokers. But nothing can be done about it. If someone I know smokes and I need to talk with them, I put up with their smoking. I am a compulsive passive smoker! or passive smoker by compulsion?! This is a democracy and I can not force someone to not smoke, especially if they ll anyway not listen. But, if one cigarette moves onto the second one, then I protest mildly, in a manner that I will try to make them put it back in the cigarette dubba.

I hope I will not need to do that anymore. With the smoking ban in public places coming into effect from today, things will hopefully improve. Already, I have seen signs of it. My colleagues have been forced to walk down to the road or go to the rooftop to smoke. Hmmmm...So they are getting some exercise before they puff away a few minutes of their lives.

I have to admit that of the many ministers in India, I seem to like Anbumani Ramadoss. That man has guts! To take on Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan and face the ire of the media, when the actors professed 'creative liberties' against ban on smoking on screen, is no mean task. He had his own reasons and rightfully so. He pointed out that youngsters in India get influenced by movies, especially actors like Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. But the actors did not agree. But the fact is that people get influenced by actors and movies. Neither do we see any of our 'netas' standing up for the people of the country. "I am the health minister of the country and it is my duty to protect the health of my people," Anbumani says. The tobacco and liquor lobby in India have always been strong and tried to prevail over any of the government's decision to ban or restrict the sale of liquor or cigarettes in the country.

However, it has to be seen how this ban will be enforced. The minister says policemen, security personnel, NGOs and other organisations will be given the power to levy fines. But how effective will it be? A journalist from another media organisation was telling me last year that when smoking was banned in public places a few years back in Chennai, he was smoking opposite Kamaraj Arangam, near the Anna flyover. "An inspector at the police station next to the hall saw me lighting up and came running, jumped over the median on the road and came near me. I thought I was going to be fined. But after taking a couple of deep breaths, he asked "do you have a lighter". I was taken aback. I handed him my lighter and both of us had a good conversation over a couple of cigarettes."

If this is going to be the state of affairs this time around too, then any further effort to ban smoking will not be fruitful until and unless India bans selling of cigarettes.

But we will have to wait and see if Anbumani wins the next elections and holds onto the health ministry. What if somebody else becomes the health minister next time around and overturns the ban?--Anything is possible with Indian politicians!!!