“On March 8, 2011, that is Women’s Day, led by women folks, we took an oath to not take tobacco and make our village tobacco free," said Bhaimon Saikia (58), who has been consuming tobacco since he was studying in Class IV.
Photos: Parikhit Saikia
A sharp turn from the smooth tarmac-laden National Highway 37 followed by a 15km-long bumpy motorbike ride along betel nut plantation in Upper Assam’s Jorhat district takes you to Sahpuriya. And the fact that makes this tinkle village, revelling in ancient Assamese culture, stand out is that all its 360 households have pledged to turn tobacco free and have given up the age old practice of chewing tamul paan with sada pata (tobacco). The initiative, is perhaps, the first of its kind in a nation that fights the menace of the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world.
The anti-tobacco campaign gained momemtum with the participation of school children.
“On March 8, 2011, that is Women’s Day, led by women folks, we took an oath to not take tobacco and make our village tobacco free. Earlier we weren’t aware of the ill effects of tobacco. The village lost a lot of people due to oral cancer. The decision to quit was difficult as chewing tobacco with tamul paan is a way of life for us, but we are on it,” a determined Bhaimon Saikia (58), who has been consuming tobacco since he was studying in Class IV, reveals. Bhaimon has finally been able to do away with an addiction that was not only a habit but is more of a social custom in Assam. Betel nut, commonly known as tamul, is grown and consumed widely across the state.
“Betel nut is taken in all occasions and served to household guests as a ceremonial gesture. We cannot think of a life without tobacco, paan and tamul. It is next to impossible,” Rukmani Borah, a resident of Jorhat, opined. But the inhabitants of Sahpuriya are literally turning this near-impossible task into a reality, thanks to the concerted efforts of around 3000 people who live there.
However, the road to quitting tobacco was not as smooth in the beginning. Five years ago, Ramen Saikia, started the crusade against tamul consumption after he realised that excessive use of tobacco is leading to numerous oral cancer cases and subsequent deaths. “I was eager to start an anti-tobacco campaign in my village but was not aware of ways to go about it. One day I read in the newspaper about the launch of Tobacco Control cell in Jorhat district. The very next day I got in touch with the cell,” informs Ramen.
Eventually, Ramen met another anti-tobacco enthusiast Dr Bhaktimoy Bhattacharyya, the district nodal officer of the Tobacco Control Cell, Jorhat at an awareness camp in Sahpuriya organized by the Jorhat College. Soon, the two teamed up to make Sahpuriya tobacco free. Dr Bhattacharyya started his awareness campaigns with slides and lecture classes to educate the villagers about how tamul consumption leads to oral cancer. Initially, the response was rather disheartening with less than 20 per cent of the villagers responding. Ramen and Bhattacharyya did not lose hope. Bhattacharyya got the district collector of Jorhat R.C. Jain involved. Consequently, the Sahpuriya Tobbacco Control Cell was born and the campaign was redesigned.
“It was a difficult task. We faced resistance that was induced largely because of lack of awareness on the issue. Many thought it is against the Assamese customs, and the youngsters were very upset and tried to stop us,” said Ramen. But children of Sahpuriya infused courage helped the campaign gather momentum. Eight-year-old Nitish Saikia convinced his family elders to give up the habit after watching a slide show on oral cancer. Nitish’s friend – 7-year-old Vishal Saikia also got his father to promise to quit for good. The story of the kids spread across the village like a wild fire. Soon, the women joined the fight against tobacco. “We faced a lot of resistance from the family. I was beaten up by my husband several times because I wanted him to leave tobacco, now he is also a campaigner for anti-tobacco drives,” reveals a lady on condition of anonymity.
Soon Ramen and Bhattacharya trained and mobilised 50 volunteers. Strategy for door-to-door campaigns, counselling sessions, street corner meetings, and outdoor theatre were planned and executed regularly. Before long, more and more people got involves and those against the campaign, changed their stance. “We have been organizing programmes regularly. From seminars to interactive sessions, we have done it all. Now, no shop in this village sell tobacco, there is moral policing as well, and anyone found consuming tobacco is fined,” explains Ramen.
A bit of pressure tactic coupled with inspiration and enthusiasm has led the way so far in Sahpuriya. “I was moved by the anti-tobacco play that was organised in the village. I could not follow the doctors in the initial awareness camp, but understood the ill effects of chewing tamul through the play and have now given it up,” declares a proud Rina Saikia, a tobacco consumer for more than 20 years.
The Global Adult Tobacco India (GATS India) Survey, conducted in 2009-10, reveals that out of the 274.9 million estimated number of tobacco users in India, 163.7 million Indians chew tobacco. According to a health report submitted by the Union ministry of health in consultation with the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare on the ill effects of chewing tobacco, chewing tobacco products have over 3,095 chemical components.
The report reveals that rampant use of tobacco is associated with high rates of oral cancer in India, and almost 90 per cent cases are linked to tobacco. India has the highest prevalence of oral cancer in the world, with 75,000 to 80,000 new cases of oral cancers being reported every year and Northeast India accounts for more than 40 per cent of these cases. In this scenario, Sahpuriya’s crusade leads by example. “It is great to see the zeal of the villagers given the fact that tobacco is a part and parcel of their daily routine. Thus we are trying to inspire them to take it further. If Sahpuriya succeeds in its mission, I am sure the rest of Assam will follow,” said a hopeful R.C. Jain.
With Sahpuriya’s villagers’ resolve getting stronger, it only seems to be a matter of time before we see a tobacco-free Assam.
With inputs from Luit Chaliha in Jorhat.
Ratnadip Choudhury is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka. ratnadip@tehelka.com
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