‘Disease for sale’ stall draws youth

Chennai: ‘Disease for sale’ scre­ams a banner inside the venue of the youth he­alth mela held at Vall­uvar Kottam in the city.

The stall designed like a Tasmac shop attracted curious youth. They we­re poring over liquor ‘bottles’ labelled with the ill-effects of alcohol. The organisers had listed the various liquor varieties available and the specific disease each one could cause.

“Those who came into the stall were sensitised about a variety of disea­ses alcoholics are prone to. Many were not aware of the extent of damage alcohol could cause,” said A. Nar­ayanan, a mela organiser.

“The stalls gave great insight into various iss­ues like alcoholism and tobacco usage. The traditional food varieties stall is what I liked the most,” said S. Har­shini, student from An­na University.

“Over a period of time, we have forgotten the taste of organic vegetables. But there is an in­crease in people looking for organic vegetables now as they find organic vegetables juicier,” said P. Kalirajan, an orga­nic farmer.

The organisers have also created a separate mini hall for sensitisation programme related to the adverse impact of tobacco products.

“Passive smokers are also vulnerable. Several researches had proved that nicotine, a primary product in cigarette ma­king, is equal to cocaine in creating addiction. Only thro­ugh the active participation of the me­dia can we influence people about its ill-eff­ects,” said Dr Aravind Kr­ish­na­murthy, oncologist, Ad­­­yar Cancer Institute.