Timely intervention
This is with reference to Ramya Kannan’s article, “Packing a pictorial punch” (Magazine, May 31). The Union Health Ministry’s fiat directing the manufacturers of tobacco products to print pictorial warnings on cigarette packets is laudable. Only symbolic and pictorial warnings on tobacco products can drive home the message that their smoking is injurious to health. The concerned legislation should be amended so as to make the imprinting of pictorial warnings mandatory, not only on cigarettes, but also on beedies, ghutkas, paans.
K. Pradeep
Chennai
In view of the worsening health scenario across the country, it is only proper to have pictorial warnings on tobacco products in order to send strong signals. Perhaps chain smokers will reduce and the occasional smokers may even abstain from smoking. Apart from the pictorial warning, the Films Division should come out with short movies depicting the harmful effects of cigarette smoking in different languages and the same should be shown just before commencement of the feature film in cinema halls. This also will have a strong impact.
H.P. Murali
Bangalore
While the article describes the perils of smoking, the reported statement of the Health Minister on cigarette smoking by actors in movies is disturbing. He has stated that it is not wrong as it is part of ‘entertainment’. It is a setback to the progress made on the anti-tobacco front. It is precisely because of its entertainment value that it is objectionable. There is enough scientific evidence to show the strong visual impact of what one sees in movies, television channels, etc. The Minister should know that the West has made considerable strides in discouraging smoking despite pressures from the commercial lobby. For example, tobacco companies are no longer allowed to sponsor F-1 teams and their logos can not appear on the dresses of drivers or cars. Can one glorify drinking on the screen on the ground that it has an entertainment value? Would it not have an impact on impressionable minds?
A. Seshan
Mumbai
Positive vibes
The articles by Usha Jesudasan reverberate with positive energy and is an example of how people can affect each other even without meeting face to face. Her latest article “On the violence of the diseases” is again a collectable piece making you think about the feelings of those who are terminally ill and/or unable to take care of themselves.
Mohammed Afzal
Faridabad
In many cases it was observed that though costly treatment was given in big hospitals, a patient felt isolated since kind words and smiling faces were missing from his/her kith and kin. During illness we should act as a bridge, not a chasm so that the patient feels fortified towards the road of recovery. I am in the late fifties and my father used to say in those times that a patient is a messenger of God who gives us an opportunity to test the depth of our patience and tolerance level. A patient in a family is thought as disruption to our routines. The empathy that one day we may also have to undergo such harsh moments will catharsise us.
Raju Raghavan
Chennai
High expectations
The article “Expectations from a secular government” (May 31, ) by Harsh Mander was really a crucial insight into the expectations of the masses from the newly elected government. The UPA government won the elections because they never resorted to communal issues and they did not follow the politics of dividing the people on the basis of beliefs and cultural practices. Having won the elections, the government now holds the burden of living up to the expectations of the people. The policies of the government should be such that we never distinguish people being minorities or majorities, but we all should proudly cherish the thought of being an Indian, as elite citizens of a secular Indian state.
Tarun Girdhar
Chandigarh
The article echoed the voices of a vast majority of the people in the country. It is heartening to see the mature Indian electorate’s overwhelming support for a secular government. The people have made their choice in no uncertain terms and now it is the duty of the government to pay back their dues. The children are the wealth of a nation and their right to education is of paramount importance.
J. Anantha Padmanabhan
Srirangam
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