Hey,this is Gayatri Mendiratta,Delegate from Delhi.

There are a few amongst us who are not movie buffs and perhaps one of the most enduring images are- the Macho Hero…cigarette dangling from his lips along with a victorious smile,after beating the baddies -Or the handsome,youngster having”fun” with his friends,smoke bellowing out of his nostrils.Celluloid perhaps stands judged as a guilty party in promoting an aura around smokers.Star-striken viewers wishing to emulate the idolised stars reach out for a cigarette in the quest to be cool……. Alas!the beginning of the end.

Sadly and strangley however smoking is a practice not limited to the male gender….an intresting exerpt not only gives valid proof but also makes one wonder…What is so addictive..?

When the Irish born American femme fatale Lola Montez had her photograph taken at a Boston studio in 1851, neither she nor anyone else could foresee the future symbolic value of the cigarette as a sign of emancipation for women and the tragic development that we are now facing with women as the next wave of the tobacco epidemic.

Have you ever wondered why people who do not smoke die from the symptoms of nicotine inhalation..? passive smoking.  

There is an instance,where the parents of two small children were chain smokers.Every night they played cards with their friends,in an ill-ventilated room.With smoke all around the children were constantly subjected to the carbon monoxide and both suffered from cancer. How do you justify this horrific denial of life to the innocent for the selfish pleasure of a few???

As a general rule ,while the middle -class in societies across the board frown upon the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, these were habits associated with either the rich and decadent or the poor and frustrated,the fact of the matter is that smoking amongst both genders,was and still is  an acceptable practice in many parts of the world.

With the booming population explosion ,far greater medical research and the results of which are there for all to see via the net(blessing or curse ??!!??!) ther are few amongst us who today are unaware of the terrible and fatal side effects of tobacco consumption and yet continue on this path with the ill-gotten faith that “oh! this can never happen to us”…IT CAN AND IT MAY WELL BE .  STOP SMOKING NOW……..it really is never too late to enjoy your life in the way your maker intended you to…..in good health.

cheers!!!                                                Gayatri Mendiratta