Darjeeling, Aug 22: What is common among Deepak Kusari, Sajid Ahmed,
D. N. Pradhan, P. Bhattacharya, P. Chakravorty and P. K. Pal? They are all teachers of St. Josephs School (North Point), Darjeeling,
and they all decided to give up smoking - their `first
love` on this day. Alongwith the teachers, all the students
of the school vowed to abstain from all forms of tobacco for the
rest of their lives.
The oath was administered by the District Magistrate of Darjeeling,
Aariz Aftab. It was a low key function attended by well-known faces of the town;
however, the initiative shown by the school authorities and the
students was commendable. The students also pledged to try to make
a smoke free environment and encourage family and friends to give
up the dreaded substance.
According to the World Health Organisation, around the world smoking
kills five millions people every year. The figures indicates that
one person out of 10 will die of tobacco-usage. Also, worldwide
one in every three adults is indulging themselves in smoking.