Abhijeet Sawant speaks up against tobacco
Abhijeet Sawant speaks up against tobacco
Monday, June 27, 2005 15:33:10 IST
Lends support to the Salaam Bombay Foundation
for : Indian idol Abhijeet Sawant and the other 10 finalists of
the Indian idols have joined hands in their stand against
tobacco. Being a youth icon in the true sense, Indian idol
Abhijeet Sawant said, "I have never needed to take to tobacco
or any other addiction to become an Indian idol. I have never
tried a cigarette in my life and I'm glad I never did. I have
reached this stage due to my hard work and dedication. I urge
the youth of today never to take to this either." The 11 Indian
idols spoke out on the cause at a recent concert. In association
with the children's NGO, Salaam Bombay Foundation and Sony
Entertainment Television, Abhijeet Sawant gave his messages
to the young audience. Also, in keeping with their commitment
for the anti-tobacco campaign, the concert was a completely
non-smoking event.In India, every 2 seconds a child tries
tobacco for the first time. Speaking on the occasion, Director of
Salaam Bombay Foundation, Padmini Somani said, "India is
the only country where death is available very cheap, i.e. at
only 50 paise, in the form of tobacco."
Research has found that non-smoking teens whose favourite
stars frequently smoke on screen are sixteen times more likely
to have positive attitudes towards smoking in the future.
Smoking is the most powerful pro-tobacco influence on kids
today, accounting for more than half of the adolescents who
start smoking, an effect that is even stronger than cigarette
advertising. The more a favourite star smoked, the higher the
chances are that the adolescent will smoke. In this light
Abhijeet Sawant's stand against tobacco is very significant and
will go a long way in influencing the youth to stay away from
tobacco.The Salaam Bombay Foundation has been fighting a
crusade to protect the next generation from tobacco. The
Foundation is currently running the largest preventive
programme on tobacco in Mumbai that has reached out to over
300,000 children in schools, institutions and on the street. The
programmes include, theatre, films and exhibitions. The
Foundations work is based on the belief that educating children
and shaping their minds is the most enduring way of shaping
the future of the country.
Web Address: http://www.cybernoon.com/
DisplayArticle.asp?section=xtras&subsection=healthcheck&
xfile=June2005_extraspecial_standard810&child=extraspecial