DOOMDOOMA, Feb 16 - The NSS unit of Digboi College organised an anti-tobacco campaign at Bapuji Bhimpather High School with a theme: �Tobacco a Taboo and its Harmful Effects� on Saturday.
Kamaruddin Mazumdar, a senior teacher of the school welcomed Rajib Rudra Tariang, the NSS Programme Officer of Digboi College along with 12 NSS volunteers of Digboi College who came with a mission to make every student free from the use of tobacco.
Addressing the gathering, Rajib Rudra Tariang and two NSS student volunteers Nayana Saikia and Sumit Das as resource persons explained the long-term ill effects on health and showed through audio-visual slides how every such items were harmful to the consumers.
The volunteers also explained how tobacco addiction started followed by loss of appetite and other health-related problems which may ultimately lead to mouth cancer.
�Many people think that chewing tobacco is safer than smoking. However, chewing tobacco is not only highly carcinogenic, it may also cause periodontal destruction and other systemic disorders like smoking-induced ailments,� they informed.
The volunteers also said that 60% cancer cases were reported alone from the use of addictive tobacco consumption. They also explained how they can get rid of such addictive items. Tariang also explained various tips to overcome such problems by strengthening their will power.
After the presentation, a fruitful interactive session was also carried out and a good number of students of the school said that they had been chewing tobacco items like Gutkha, Sikhar, Kamala Pasand and Karamchand by consuming more than 20 packets daily, which had become an addiction to them.
These students promised that they will henceforth not use such items in future and rather help in campaigns against the use of tobacco. In the end, Sumit Das administered an oath to the students against the use of any tobacco items.
The other NSS volunteers who attended the programme were Raktutpal Baruah, Dipankar Deb, Nayan Nag, Utpal Sonowal, Ankur Bhandari, Trishna Devi Baruah, Sushmita Sonowal, Trishna Sharma and Bikash Mishra.
These volunteers will monitor the school students and will counsel them if required in future in the mission to make the school tobacco free.
Kamaruddin Mazumder subsequently offered the vote of thanks.