Cancer Aid Committee Celebrates NO TOBACCO DAY

Rotary club of Bombay celebrated World NO TOBACCO DAY at CST station by creating an awareness campaign in association with Salaam Bombay, reaching more than 2500 people through the day.

World Health Organization (WHO) started World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) to create awareness among the masses about widespread prevalence of tobacco use and its negative health effects. This day is observed by all the members’ states of WHO all around the world on 31st May. Each year, the WHO selects a theme for the day in order to create a more unified global message for WNTD. This year the theme for World No Tobacco Day 2017 is “Tobacco – a threat to development.

The event was held on 30th May 2017 at CST station which is the main station of the Central Railway lines of Mumbai. The city of Mumbai is one of the most populated cities in the world, and it is growing each and every day. The people of Mumbai come from various backgrounds and they are vulnerable to various diseases and health hazards. The idea was to reach the masses at CST Station and create awareness.

The event started early morning at 7am. The commuters were excited to see the children drawing rangoli and it captured their attention. The artwork depicted that the students have themselves taken the mantle in their own hands and are cleaning out the evil of tobacco from our nation, which is a major threat to our nation’s health and development.

Rtn. Dr. Mukesh Batra, President – Rotary Club of Bombay, Rtn. Madhusudan Daga, Chairman – Cancer Aid Committee, Rtn. Ramesh Narayan, President elect of Rotary Club of Bombay, Station Manager Of CST Mr. Ramkaran Meena graced the event with their presence. They inaugurated the event by finishing the rangoli by filling up colour, and unveiled the posters which were made by the children of Salaam Bombay Foundation. The students of Dongri Muncipal School, Sandesh Vidyalaya & Glove Mill Municipal school explained the posters to the dignitaries. Through the posters, people were made aware about the hazards of tobacco. All the dignitaries were invited to the stage & Mr. Sandeep Gawde of Salaam Bombay Foundation explained the concept of World No Tobacco day to the masses and thanked the efforts of Rotary Club Of Bombay, Cancer Aid Committee & Central Railway for supporting the cause against tobacco. Dr. Batra the president of Rotary Club Of Bombay shared his experiences about the hazards of tobacco to the people gathered during the event as well.

The Bhavishya Yaan children of Byculla School, performed a street play which spread the awareness about tobacco and how tobacco hurts our development. The students performed with great enthusiasm and the crowd enjoyed the performances and applauded their efforts. The children performed thrice during the day and reached out to more than 300 people through this activity.

The Chief Guests Dr Batra and Mr. Madhusudan Daga appreciated the efforts of students and were impressed with their display and confidence. Rtn. Dilip Dalal and Ekta Shah also participated in the event.

The other event which attracted huge crowds at the event was the “Chalta Bolta Tambukala Dhishoom Quiz show.” A total of 6 quiz shows were conducted and made aware about the hazards of tobacco. During the event we used Social Media as a platform where people clicked selfies in “Tambaku ko Dhishoom” selfie frame and shared their pictures in the “Tambaku ko Dhishoom” Facebook page.

Statistics:

1. Quiz conducted 6 times and approximately 900 people participated throughout the day
2. Street play enacted 3 times and around 300 people enjoyed and took videos
3. Rangoli and art display attracted many commuters and around 2000 people throughout the day clicked pictures and appreciated the art