.... the brain is not a vessel to be filled,
It is something to be IGNITED

BURNING BRAIN NEWSLETTER - March 2006

Women liberation & women's day?

March 8 is always a special day for many Women. Its the International Women’s Day (IWD) which according to the website of IWD is celebrated annually since 1908 to highlight women’s equality worldwide and inspires women to achieve their full potential.

Quite impressive, it appears.

But what kind of equality women have, even the acclaimed successful women? What are we promoting in the name of successful women?  Women as a symbol of success or women as a commodity of titillation and sex?

I was forced to think about this the very next day of the IWD.

There was a cricket match at Mohali, Chandigarh which also saw a lot of British natives as spectators. A particular women was dressed rather casually (as they are wont to, in their country) and this indeed caught the attention of many journalist who are not accustomed of watching such skin show in India. Result: every newspaper carried her photograph on the front/main page.

The importance of the photograph for the journalists (and their editors) was not about a spectator watching a cricket match but a scantily clad women which they seemingly assumed would be liked by the male readers of their respective newspapers. This opinion seemed to be so widespread that all the 12 newspapers I scanned that day had the photograph of this girl while reporting the cricket match.

I fail to understand why this was happening. Sex is a natural instinct and in a country which produces the highest number of children every year there must not be any reason to be so obsessed about the whole idea that sexual desires are forced to manifest themselves in such pervert ways. 50% of the world population consists of women having the same physical appearance so there has to be many other assets/qualities which could be highlighted other than the physical body. Isn't it true?

But are we deliberately promoting such a corrupted image of a modern successful women? How do the seemingly successful women appear in movies, what is their role most of the time? What are item numbers in  Bollywood movies and what do they show? What does the fashion page in every newspaper/news magazine shows? Why every advertisement has a picture of a nude women? What are the fashion shows and "Miss Beauty" contests really about? Do women who show their skin are the only ones who would be considered successful? Why do we require semi-nude/nude women (and not the product features or qualities) to sell everything from men's underwear to mineral water, from alcohol to cars and virtually everything marketable on this earth?

The front page and/or the magazine page of most of the big and respected newspapers are incomplete without a skinny photograph of some scantily clad women as a symbol of success. Even while covering women sports event, the journalists take special interest in printing a picture which shows more than the game being played.

Where are those people who wanted Sanya to play tennis in a burqa? They were the ones who could see through even a decently dressed successful sports women. Are they blind otherwise. The media seems to prey on their perversion and in return get rewarded by a better circulation.

Isn't this an outcome of a hypocrite society which has become too obsessed with sex just because it is completely out-of-tune and has failed to match pace with the time? Why we have to turn to such pervert ways and give it names like women liberation and equality.

Just thinking a little loud; Yours,

Hemant Goswami
Chairperson,
Burning Brain Society

Stop subsidy to tobacco Industry: Agriculture Ministry told

BBS Petitioned Mr. Sharad Pawar, the minister of Indian agriculture to provide an alternate to farmers engaged in tobacco cultivation. BBS said that this should be a priority area for the agriculture ministry and a plan for transfer of tobacco cultivation to other productive crops over a period of next 15-20 years should be worked out. Click to read details

Download the petition  from http://www.burningbrain.org/pdf/petition2sh_sharad_pawa.pdf

Ignorance or hidden agenda of tobacco sponsored journalists

As seen many times earlier too; either because of pure ignorance or by tobacco money sponsored design (who are dependent on tobacco money, including through the subsidy companies) some newspapers and journalists often indulge in activities misguiding people. One such activity was recently seen in "HT City - 27 Feb. 2006" published from Chandigarh. The newspaper did a discussion column on smoking and published an opinion purporting to come from a youngster (Who refuses this to be his comment) advocating smoking. The youngster is quoted (out of context) to be stating in the HT article as "....can you imagine Guru Dutt without a cigarette in Pyaasa?.." The Fact is that Guru Dutt didn't even touch cigarette or any other tobacco product in Pyaasa, not even for a moment. What do we call it ignorance or a hidden agenda?

Quit & Win Contest - 2006

World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva has planned to organize an International Campaign, viz., QUIT&WIN-2004, during the Month of May-2004, to create awareness among the Public, regarding the ill-effects of Tobacco-Smoking and with a long range motto of creating a Smoke-free / Tobacco-free Society. It is a population based Tobacco Control Programme. QUIT&WIN is an International Smoking Cessation Contest for Smokers around the world. Smokers from all over the world will try to abstain from smoking and other tobacco products for a four-week period.

National Public Health Institute, Finland is the International Co-ordinator for these large efforts. Similar exercise have been carried out in the years 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002. A humble beginning was made in the year of 1994, with 70,000 people from 13 countries and in its 10th Anniversary Year 2004, it is expected to cover more than 1 million people from 100 Countries.

The Campaign is set to follow internationally agreed rules, including the Common Quit Date and a verified four-week abstinence to come eligible for the prize draws to be conducted at National and International-level Super Cash Prizes in US Dollars, as follows :

For Participants : Prize at WHO Regional Level :: US $ 2500/- (App.Rs. 1.25 Lakhs).
Prize at International Level : US $ 10000/- (App.Rs. 5.00 Lakhs).

The evaluation and experiences of past Campaigns, show that this activity is an effective useful and positive method for International Collaboration to reduce smoking. The tobacco problem is a global problem. Accordingly, the action to fight it also must be international.

Registration for QUIT&WIN-2004 campaign starts on 7th April, 2004 (World Health Day) and the actual programme is launched on 2nd May 2004. The Participants will have to be smoke-free upto 31st May 2004 (World No Tobacco Day). At the end of the Campaign, the participants shall have to undergo a bio-chemical test, to ascertain the Nicotine level.

It is a hidden agenda that if anybody is having the conviction to be smoke-free for four weeks, they will sure to become smoke-free ever.

This year, around ten Co-ordinators have opted to organize this International Campaign in India. In Tamilnadu, Mr. V.Regunathan, Marketing Engineer of M/s. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd., Tiruchirappalli and Prof. P.S.Navaraj of Yadhava College, Madurai are co-ordinating this event on behalf of the National Public Health Institute, Finland and WHO.

To make this Campaign more beneficial to the Society and to create a smoke-free generation, the efforts of the above two co-ordinators atre to be encourage in a big way, by the Central/State Governments, Philanthropists, Social Services Organisations, NGOs, Educational Institutions, Industries, Large Business Houses, Industrialists, Doctors, Hospsitals, Health Authorities, Sports and Film personalities, media groups and all the more the Public. Sponsorships are welcome for printing campaign materials, avertisements, Local prizes, free Holiday packages for the winners, complimentary articles for the participants, like Cap, Pens Banians, etc.

Non-Smokers can also join the Campaign as “Supports for the Campaign”, by recruiting at least one smoker.

Smokers and Non-smokers can contact the above QUIT&WIN coordinators and reap a Healthy and Smoke-free life.

More details are available at ::

Tiruchirappalli ::     Telephone 0431-2513155
Madurai ::               Telephone 0452-2681048

Contact V.Regunathan at vregu@bheltry.co.in

Become Smoke-free, WIN your health throughout your life, of course with a Cash Prize.

Countdown campaign for a smokefree World Cup 2006:

The UICC Global Smokefree Partnership – an alliance of leading health organisations world wide  – today issued an urgent call to the persons in charge to make the World Cup 2006 smoke-free. The campaign is backed by over 170 organisations and alliances worldwide.

At the opening press conference of the annual congress of the German Lung Foundation and the German Association for Pneumology (Nuremberg, Germany), over 170 health organizations from around the world called for a smokefree World Cup 2006.

They demanded reinstatement of a memorandum of cooperation signed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the FIFA prior to the 2002 World Cup that stated: ‘WHO and FIFA agree that tobacco and sports do not mix and that tobacco in any form must be removed from all football events associated with FIFA … This Memorandum ... will serve as the starting point of future cooperation on other FIFA events.’ ›› more at http://www.globalsmokefreepartnership.org

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Research Report on "Tobacco In Movies"

The report on "Tobacco In Movies" have been released now. We are thankful to all of you who provided valuable inputs and helped on the project. You can download your copy from http://www.burningbrain.org/tobaccoinmovies or read the report online.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Watch how Hindi Movies are pushing chemical addiction

You can download a 7 minutes film (Projection quality) from http://gallery.globalink.org/d/12358-1/tobacco_in_movies_BBSindia-7mins.wmv  and see the result of the survey of Indian movies in 2004 and 2005.

You can also watch a 32 minute movie on "Tobacco in Hindi Movies." You can watch the movie online (on the internet without downloading it) at http://www.burningbrain.org/tobaccoinmovies/playmovie.htm
 

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