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

December 6, 2005
CHANDIGARH

To stop the biggest joke on the face of Indian governments anti-tobacco efforts in the form of a bravery award in the trade name of, and by, a leading tobacco company (in violation of the anti-tobacco act), Burning Brain Society (BBS) had sent urgent Fax and e-mail communications to the President of India, the Health Minister, the Governor of West Bengal, the CM, the three IAS officers who were to get tobacco companies bravery awards, the concerned ministers and hundreds others. BBS also alerted other NGO’s in Kolkata too besides calling up and convincing many of these senior government officials. The West Bengal Governor was announced to be the chief guest of the tobacco companies’ bravery awards function and three senior IAS officers were also supposed to receive the awards at Kolkata on Dec. 6, 2005.

The result; Sh. Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the Governor of West Bengal called the Union Health Ministry and was told that the tobacco companies awards comes within the meaning of surrogate advertisement. The message from the Governor, declining participation as the chief guest was conveyed to the tobacco company. The tobacco function went without the Governor or any other government official. The bait of the tobacco company fell flat and even the tipped IAS officers for the bravery awards were nowhere to be seen.

BBS appreciated the Governor and the other government officers for showing sensitivity on the issue and negating the nefarious design of the tobacco company, said Hemant Goswami, chairperson of BBS.

Mr. Hemant Goswami of BBS said that the use of the name Godfrey Phillips prefixing the awards name is illegal as per the provisions of the cigarette and other tobacco products act 2003. The other reasons given by Burning Brain are that since the company is solely manufacturing tobacco and using the same name on all its tobacco products and promotion so its use is directly related to their tobacco product which is against the spirit of the legislation. Further the tobacco company is a commercial organization which works for profits. The activity of giving bravery awards in the name of its trade name/brand is a commercial activity aimed to promote its trade name and the umbrella brand of its tobacco products and since all commercial activities calculate the return of every penny spent in terms of increased sale of their product, the tobacco company being a commercial organization is no different. Besides philanthropy is not the objectives listed in the memorandum of formation of the tobacco company.

Hemant informed that the Indian parliament had also ratified an international treaty “Framework Convention on Tobacco Control” because of its international binding commitment towards a tobacco free world. The treaty has been signed by 167 countries and ratified by 113 countries and calls for ending all sponsorship activities by tobacco companies. Under such a scenario if senior government officials liaison with tobacco companies then it is quite shameful.

It might be mentioned that Burning Brain Society is opposing the move by tobacco companies to promote its tobacco products through surrogate means since many years. Because of the efforts of BBS, the logo of the award function which earlier resembled that of the cigarette brand was changed. Last year the society filed a PIL in the Punjab & Haryana High Court which resulted in dropping of the name of the cigarette product name from the awards.

Relating tobacco to bravery is incorrect as holding a cigarette is a symbol of insecurity and it is well known that regular tobacco use leads to impotency and not bravery, Hemant added.  Burning Brain Society has also filed a complaint with the Kolkata police under Section 5 of the anti-tobacco act.

A news report from the Statesman:

For bravery and acts of courage

Statesman News Service

KOLKATA, Dec. 6. — Guests and awardees were twiddling thumbs for 45 minutes inside the ballroom of a city hotel while Asha, a black Labrador from the Kolkata Police Dog Squad was on duty, before the Governor’s due arrival at the 14th Godfrey Phillips Bravery Awards for West Bengal on 6 December.

An hour later, the vice-president of corporate affairs, Ms Neeta Kapoor, said: “A commitment is a commitment. Today no designation or hierarchy is important.
Don’t take away the importance of these people just because the most important guest had to cancel his programme due to his last-minute busy schedule.”
The lighting of the ceremonial lamp was done by the bravery awardees. This was followed by a short audio visual explaining the renaming of the Red and White Bravery Awards, which was a surrogate advertisement for GPI’s cigarette company.

………………&&&&………

The awards were given away by Ms Kapoor.

Pending action

Some news agencies and newspapers are indulging in false reporting and trying to help the tobacco companies propagate falsehood and promote their brands. BBS shall soon approach the Press Council for action against such news agencies and news papers.

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