In spite of a drizzle, it seemed the ‘spirit’ of Raahgiri was never going to die down. The citizens of the temple city proved it on Sunday on the occasion of the 20th Raahgiri on Janpath even after a night-long rain and drizzle in the early morning hours.
The “World No Tobacco Day” on May 31 drew attention on the occasion. While the psychiatrist duo Dr Pranab Mohapatra and Dr Sudipta Kumar Das of the Apex Care made awareness on the addictive nature of smoking and tobacco, they warned that if preventive measures are not taken the practice can claim up to eight million people worldwide annually by the year 2030.
Explaining the addiction factor, Dr Mohapatra said, “The addiction nature of tobacco directly relates to a circuit in the human brain and that circuit affects the psyche of the person to get hooked to the bad practice.” He maintained that with proper counseling and will power one can overcome the problem.
Members of the Nasha Mukti Yuva Sangathan also took part in the Raahgiri. Some activists were dressed as the ‘Yam Doots’ or messenger of death to scare people regarding the ill effects of tobacco.
Creating awareness on the blind beliefs associated with the menstrual cycles in case of young girls, a puppet show was organized whch was an unprecedented crowd puller. Organizations like the Aaina, the National Alliance of Women, Odisha (NAWO), the Water Aid and the Practical Action staged the beautiful puppet show with songs based on tunes of traditional Odia folk songs and educated the public to scientifically understand the biology behind menstruation and never get influenced by the blind beliefs.
Students of the Kalinga Institute of Dental Sciences of KIIT University organised a flash mob. Members of the Women in Society Help (WISH), the Trees for Tomorrow, the People’s Cultural Centre, the Art Ya Craft and the Art Godam, held awareness camp. Cultural shows provided lots of entertainment.