Brave hearts and deadly puffs

EVERY ACTION has an equal and opposite reaction. So when, at one end of the city, some of the best cardiologists in the country gathered to tell us, among other things, the importance of quitting smoking, at another end, the tobacco-lobby struck back - with sponsorship of the prestigious Navy Ball.

We have had many in the city, like the Dean of Faculties, SRMC, Prof. S. Thanikachalam, and the CAN-STOP founder, Dr. Vijayabharathi Rangarajan, tell us about the need to quit smoking.

There are anti-smoking days and campaigns all over the city, but some in the anti-smoking lobby are disheartened at the sponsorship of this high profile event.

And, it is not just the cardiologists who expressed their concern on smoking. Even the Chief Minister did so in his inaugural speech at the Millennium meet of the Cardiology Society of India at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Porur.

``...People are also picking up bad habits like smoking and drinking. All these risk factors along with anxiety, result in the increase of degenerative diseases like, the cardiovascular diseases,'' he said and went on to add: ``The common man is not aware of the risk factors. This requires education from a very young age, inclusion of information in school and college curriculum and wider publicity regarding the bad effects of smoking.''

At virtually the other end of the city, by the waterfront, a prominent cigarette company will present the Navy Ball 2000, an yearly event that has been more often cancelled since the mid- nineties.

The Ball will feature a live band, a fashion show, dance performance and a Navy Queen contest. The event is right inside a Naval base, the INS Adyar.

The choice of the tobacco-giant will not affect people streaming in for the premium event, if some service officers are to be believed. If that was the case, people would not watch cricket as the team itself goes by the sponsors' name, goes the argument.

But some from the `No Smoking' lobby are quick to point out a crucial difference: cricket was not dependent on the sponsor, there would be many others willing to step in.

The same cannot be said of the Ball. The lobbyists also say that getting the tobacco-logo out of Indian cricketer's T-shirts is high on their agenda.

The choice of sponsor is not the only problem with the event. Its timing (Saturday, December 9) clashes with another high-profile, cause- based bash at the present Centre of the discotheque world in the city - a INP+ initiative at Hell Freezes Over.

Some of the `committed,' like vocalist David Pascal will be at the HFO, watching from the sidelines, while the `MadraZ' three- some - Paul, Marteen and Keith - will perform.

By R. K. Radhakrishnan

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