Smoking out a vice
`Vardan' is ideal for those willing to give up tobacco but not the smoking habit.
YOU MAY smoke but not exhale slogan will look incongruous with a particular population of bidi smokers. Ill-effects of `passive smoking' will appear ludicrous. And for a change, the Government may break its own rule and even encourage a particular brand of bidis to be advertised, as they are considered safer and healthier! As if these are not shocking enough, this bidi brand will soon be seen as a sure way to kick the (smoking) habit.
A small clarification is warranted; the bidi in question is Vardan, a tobacco-free look alike that has come out of research by the Coimbatore based Dalmia Centre for Research and Development (DCRD), a part of the Dalmia Group. First launched in June of last year in Delhi and now being launched in Tamil Nadu, Vardan is available in 800 cities in India and sells ten lakh sticks every day. The numbers are growing by the day. And the reason — smokers have found a perfect tobacco-free alternative to kiss goodbye to lung and other kinds of cancer.
The only thing in common with conventional bidis is the tendu leaf that is used to roll the contents. But for this, Vardan is a combination of completely natural leaves of simple plants abundantly and ubiquitously found in India. They are easily grown through out the country.
This gives the smoker everything — physical, psychological and physiological comfort — but tobacco, tobacco specific nitrosamines, chemicals or additives.
"Nearly 70 per cent of tobacco addiction has to do with sensory pleasure and less to do with nicotine per se," avers P.M. Murali, Head (Research) of Dalmia Consumer Care. With Vardan mimicking tobacco in terms of its chemistry indices (sweetness, moisture, bitterness, Ph,) and satiability indices (throat fee, mouth feel, smoke), the acceptability is high. "Much care was taken to carefully choose the plants that will mimic a real bidi in all its feeling," said Sudershan Banerjee, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dalmia Consumer Care. The fact that nearly 90 per cent of volunteers (during double blind testing) failed to tell the difference between Vardan and bidi is proof enough.
Of course, the absence of tobacco and other harmful chemicals will be felt by smokers earnestly looking for them either as a stimulant or to kill hunger pangs. "So Vardan it is not for these people who look out only for the harmful chemicals," Banerjee stressed. But it has come as a boon for those looking for a way to kick the habit but lacking the will to do so. In other words, it is ideal for those who are willing to give up tobacco but not the smoking habit.
But how will smokers prefer Vardan in the absence of nicotine? "Nictone patch is a good way of providing the body nicotine without causing injury. But is has never become a run-away success with smokers wanting to quit. And the reason is that the smoking (habit) is missing," Dr. Murali explained. "Hence nicotine per se is not the main point." In contrast, Vardan provides the pleasure of smoking sans tobacco.
This is not to say that smokers switching over to Vardan will not experience withdrawal symptoms. Yet, it will be some time before the smoker realises the absence of tobacco.
Finally, bidis cater to the needs of the poor with its low-grade tobacco. No alternative has so far been provided to this smoking population. The one-lakh-odd smokers who have already switched loyalty to Vardan are a testimony to the power that Vardan wields.
Having applied for patents in many countries for Vardan, the scientists are now training their guns on cigarette smokers. But mimicking a cigarette smoke is going to be a tough call. Nearly 4000-odd chemicals are produced (and inhaled) when a cigarette is smoked.
The paper burning process, change in the mouth feel with paper and several factors in the tobacco that interact with paper to give the smoke a characteristic smell and feel are highly challenging to mimic. As if these were not sufficient enough to make the task daunting, many brands have filters. But the scientists have taken this as a challenge. "Its just a question of time before we produce tobacco free cigarettes," said an optimistic Dr. Murali.
R. Prasad, in Chennai
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Sci Tech
