Bangalore: When most people raise slogans or hold talks to create awareness about a particular topic, magician S.P. Nagendra Prasad found a way to talk about the ills of smoking and tobacco on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on Thursday — through his "magical powers."

He along with class VIII and IX standard students of Holy Crescent School, Hombegowda Boys High School and Gangamma Hombegowda Girls High School took out a procession with colourful cartoon characters, skeletons carrying cigarette butts to symbolise the health hazards of smoking and placards with slogans about the dangers of smoking, how passive smoking affects children and about cancer and heart disease.

"We want to spread the message that smoking is injurious to health but if you just give them information it does not help. You have to show them images that will make people sit up and take note so that they will think twice about smoking," he said.

So at the programme held at Hombegowda grounds, Mr. Prasad made a girl float on a cigarette to show that people who smoke are leading a similar life, they just float through it neither being healthy nor happy.

`Pat at the back'

Biocon Ltd. in association with Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), a student body working against the consumption of tobacco products assembled at Mahatma Gandhi Road to mark World No Tobacco Day and called upon Bangaloreans to refrain from using tobacco products and to quit smoking through a unique campaign — "Pat At The Back". The objective of the campaign was to raise awareness and sensitise people about the harmful effects of tobacco.

Representatives from Biocon and SWAT organised an awareness walk from Anil Kumble Circle near the Biocon Helix on Mahatma Gandhi Road towards Trinity Circle.

The students and Biocon employees wore T-shirts carrying Anti Tobacco messages and educated the public on the evils of consuming tobacco in any form. They pasted stickers on people's clothing to tell them about the ill effects of smoking.

Placards

Rotary Bangalore West organised a programme to talk about the ill effects of tobacco consumption. Rotary members and medical professionals took part in the programme, which was held near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Mahatma Gandhi Road on Thursday

They held placards with anti-tobacco slogans and medical professionals who took part said that deaths because of tobacco consumption accounted for 60 per cent of the total deaths worldwide.

Campaign

Apollo Hospitals launched a campaign on Thursday to mark World No Tobacco Day. The campaign, which is in the form of outdoor, poster and display units, is aimed at sending strong messages about the harmful effects of smoking.

The hospital is running free counselling sessions for people who want to quit smoking at their hospital premises and can be contacted on 40304050.

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