The 31st of May is celebrated globally as World No Tobacco Day. We at SPCT decided to spread awareness about this day and about the ill effects of tobacco by celebrating this event a day before - 30th May by a walkathon.
A health conscious society has now banned smoking in public places, and in many countries this offense is heavily fined. But it is only when each of us bans it voluntarily from our hearts and systems itself will the drive have any lasting effect. So, it was with this intention that around fifty volunteers gathered early on Sunday morning at Cubbon Park near Press Club on May 30th, armed with anti-smoking banners, posters and the determination to spread the message of World No Tobacco Day.
Dressed in Jeans, Tees and sports shoes, holding aloft their banners, striding energetically but silently through the four kilometer stretch around the park, the walkathon enthusiasts, young and old, attracted curious looks and enquiries from everyone. Their message was clear - get conscious of your health and give up smoking; don’t take to it if you haven’t yet. Kick the Butt, walk and exercise the butt said one poster, while another warned that If you puff, puff, puff, you will huff, huff, huff! Another banner highlighted the many ingredients that go into the making of a cigarette - nicotine, methane, carbon, etc - effectively showing how harmful it was to ingest all these substances into the lungs. It was heartening to see a lot of youth among the walkers, the citizens of tomorrow whose onus it is to foster a healthy society.
The main aim of undertaking this walkathon a day earlier, was that people get the message 24 hours earlier and abstain from smoking at least on that day, that is 31st May.
Hopefully, many, many more such citizens will be influenced by this initiative, and will go on to lead a healthy, smoke-free life that is easy on the pocket as well as the environment.
