The ban on smoking in public is to be implemented all over India starting tomorrow. Personally i welcome this move, as i hope it will help me quit, <fingers-crossed>.
However, on the numerous occasion this topic has come up for discussion: usually at the smoking corners where smokers have lately been starting off the conversation with a request for a light followed by a countdown statement 'XX days to go', there normally is one prevalent train of thought expressed by most people.
"How will they catch me smoking on the premises of my company company <MNC/XYZ>?"
When we will have the mental shift to accept a law as it is instead of immediately trying to calculate the possibilities of breaking the law without getting caught and also factoring in the ability to get off the hook cheap (at most 50% of legally mandated fine) by bribing the said officer of law when actually caught? To them i always reply
"If I were not a smoker I would call the authorities and complain about you!"
To end, one of the very rare intelligent words from our Union health minister Ramadoss
"This is a social movement. First there should be an increased awareness of the new law... This will improve voluntary compliance."
I think it is a good thing, after all. I have a smokers' corner in office and I go there 3-4 times a day. Now if that is closed, I will have to go down 6 floors, walk 300m to the road and smoke in the glaring sun.
ReplyDeleteThe law may work well as a deterrent for people like me who smoke because it is convenient.
Of course, [to paraphrase Mark Twain] to quit smoking is not very difficult, we know because we have tried it a 1000 times :)
you mirrored my sentiments... exactly why i like the ban...
ReplyDeleteban nahi to kam to hoga...