Village Where Nobody Smokes!

Stella Paul September 20, 2010

Despite a ban on it, smoking is claiming thousands of lives in India each year. But a small village in In India's Haryana state a folk tradition helps people shun smoking and stay healthy.

Believe it or not, in Shankarpura - a village in India's Haryana state nobody ever smokes. Nobody in the village has ever fallen sick of tobacco addiction either. And none of that is because of the government ban on smoking. This is how things have been in the village for centuries. Yes, incredible it might sound, but villagers here have considered smoking a sin and have stayed away from that thanks to a local legend.

And what is the legend? It is this: Shankarpura would prosper only if it's people stayed off smoking.

Simple, isn't it? But it works! From senior citizens to curious teenagers, the villagers have different interests and different opinions. But when it comes to smoking, they have one answer: 'No'

Every year, 90 thousand people die in India from smoking-related diseases, including lung cancer. According to studies, more than 50 percent of these tobacco-related deaths occur among illiterate men or women, and 80 percent of those people reside in rural India.

There is a nationwide ban on smoking in public places. The ban came in force in April’2008, but the nature of ban itself gives room for people to continue smoking in privacy. As a result there are still approximately 120 million smokers in India, about 37 percent of all men and 5 percent of all women between the ages of 30 and 69.

Satyawan, a non-smoker, who headed a village council/Panchayat for five years, says that in villages across Haryana, smoking is still done by the community members almost like a ritual. When panchayats meet, or elders of the village get together to discuss a community issue, the smoke as though it is a part of a tradition.

But the tradition that Shankarpura villagers follow is one that is worth following. Because not only the tradition helps people stay healthy, but also help them excel in other fields such as sports and education.

Presently World Health Organisation (WHO) is running a global campaign to reduce cancer deaths worldwide—aiming to prevent 8 million cancer deaths by 2015—and a primary focus of that initiative is to lower tobacco use in developing countries such as India.

The reason, says WHO, is because if current rate of smoking continues, there will be 1 billion in the 21st century. WHO has already called tobacco as “ the biggest enemy we face”.

However, according to Satyawan, to make any such initiative a success and to really make India freed of smoking, we need a stricter enforcement of the current ban, not just in urban areas, but also in villages. He also feels, and quite logically, that right now entire effort is focused on how tobacco or smoking kills. So the message that people are receiving is, 'X number of things can happen, if you smoke'.

But what happens if you DONT smoke? It's not hard to imagine, but there is no harm in telling that as well, especially if your audience is an entire group of people.

The video that Satyawan did is a result of that thought. He felt it was important to share the story of residents of Shankarpura who have been living a healthy tobacco-free life, so the example can inspire many others.

To watch this truly fascinating video, click here.