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BURNING BRAIN NEWSLETTER - January 2006 BURNING BRAIN
The Facts Vs. The Misinformation In the preceding few months, I have noticed that some people are spreading a lot of misinformation about the proposed ban of tobacco in Indian movies. Most of such communication is either a part of a nefarious design and results from the desire to protect one’s selfish interests or is a reflection of ignorant minds. I thought that it would be appropriate to share answers to some of these often asked questions. Why is there a talk about banning tobacco scenes in movies? Human behaviour is known to be influenced by a number of things. It is now well known by numerous scientific studies that mass media, (which includes movies and television) influence human behaviour and opinion greatly. We are aware how advertisements influence people. (So that you may be influenced to buy something is the reason that corporate pay lakhs of rupees to get a visibility of just 10 seconds in electronic media.) Recognising these facts, 168 countries of the world agreed through FCTC (Article 13) to prohibit all form of advertisement and promotion of tobacco in all mass media. But this is not proving to be very useful as one of the most influential mass media, i.e. “Movies” continue to create a deep psychological association between tobacco and human emotions. These are same kind of emotional associations which tobacco advertisements were doing earlier. Movies not only project tobacco as something stylish, glamorous and fashionable but also promote the myths that it reduces stress, makes one brave and help look good and trendy. These all projections are promoting tobacco. Moreover tobacco companies are also influencing film producers to show their tobacco brands in movies (which are currently shown in 41% of the movies) and present tobacco in favourable light. Since tobacco is a major problem in India which also kills millions of people worldwide so to prevent these deaths and phase out tobacco it is important that it be not seen as a normal behaviour and all such images projecting it as normal are stopped. Restraining tobacco scenes in movies would be a step in the intended direction and the in unison with the spirit of FCTC. Today some people talk about banning tobacco scenes in Movies and tomorrow it might be alcohol and then violence and sex? Wrong. There is an international agreement (FCTC) of 168 countries on controlling tobacco which has come into force after decades of discussions and negotiations. The present anti-tobacco legislation and ban on tobacco in movies have come out of it. No such international agreement and consensus exists on alcohol use or sex depiction or violence in movies. Why not ban violence and sex in movies too and why only tobacco? There is a huge difference among these things and rather they can not be compared at all. While violence and sex are innate to human beings, tobacco is not. Tobacco is a man made commercial chemical addiction which is pushed for purely financial gains. Sex is natural to human beings and showing it as an expression of love can never be harmful to any human being but showing a chemical addiction in favourable light actually kills people. Even for artistic display, violence (or aggression) and sex form part of the "Navrasa" (The nine flavours of acting) whereas tobacco use has no role in acting or depiction of emotion. Tobacco is purely a commercial product which is highly addictive in nature. In fact, according to "Bharata Natyashastra" the Indian guidebook/bible of acting, use of intoxicants is banned on stage. What about violence? Does violence in movies not influence children? There are many studies which point towards this but then there are restrictions on amount/level of violence you can show in movies. Children do not see their parents, neighbours, teachers, friends, etc. actually killing people with guns as they see in movies; so there is a high degree of differentiation between the reel and the reality. Whereas, a child watching a film star who appears to be smart, good, brave, macho, handsome, etc. and smoking a cigarette, he can relate it to his father, relative, neighbour, teacher, friend etc. This added imagery makes the child many times more receptive to smoking. A youngster can not procure guns freely but he requires just one rupee to buy a cigarette. That’s how there is a big difference between showing violence in movies and showing tobacco use. What about freedom of expression and creativity? Yes Indian constitution guarantees freedom of speech under Article 19; but it also restricts these rights for safeguarding the public health, decency and morality under Article 19(2) and the Indian constitution also directs the state to look after to maintain social order and for promotion of welfare of people under Article 38 and for improving the public health under Article 47. The freedom of speech is not an absolute right giving anyone a right to spread harmful and deleterious communications. Freedom of speech and expression is governed by many other concerns and the welfare of public is at the heart of it. In the past also legislations have provided for restriction from publishing material and spreading images/speech if obscene in nature (Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986) or which is found to be harmful for young people (Young Person (Harmful Publications) Act, 1956) or even medicines and magic remedies (Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954) promising miracles. There have been many other reasonable restrictions in public interest in the past too and by a simple common sense extrapolation of the same, tobacco depiction in mass media should have been banned years back. But I still don’t understand when selling tobacco is legal how showing it in movies can be illegal? We all know that selling medicines is legal but is advertising them over the mass media legal too? No, it is illegal. So if we can not advertise medicines (which are used to cure), what’s wrong in preventing the visibility of tobacco which actually is a poison and kills million. Especially when the images projected over the mass media spreads myths and scientifically incorrect messages. If we allow a film hero to consume a particular medicine before he fights someone, when he romances, when he meets a friend, etc; I can guarantee you that such a medicine producer(s) will become billionaire in the shortest imaginable span. What about villains? Why can't they be shown smoking? Why Villains should be shown smoking? If anyone is shown smoking it can still promote tobacco as a normal behaviour. There are many recent movies where villains are shown holding brands of some cigarette companies which proves that brands are promoted even through villains. Moreover now a days even super stars like Shahrukh, Amitabh, John Abraham, Abhishek, Ajay Devgan, etc. all perform villainous roles and negative characters. the difference between a hero and an anti-hero is now razor thin. Villains are mostly shown doing all the things which money can buy and such activities are shown as something pleasurable. It is a wrong notion that villains do not influence behaviour. Even such images influence a sizeable youngsters. How will a youngster, who lacks maturity of mind differentiate between the images? Villains are after all bad people, if they smoke wouldn't a message go that smoking is bad? No when super stars like Shahrukh, Amitabh, John Abraham, Abhishek, Ajay Devgan smoke on screen; even when they are depicting negative characters, it will only send a message that tobacco is a normal behaviour. Why, You may ask? Because these youngsters can easily relate tobacco use behaviour with their parents, peers and other role models too (and they are not seen as Villains). The other argument that tobacco is an artistic requirement to show negativity is also invalid as there is no acting manual in the world which suggests use of tobacco to show a negative character. When a popular hero who consumes tobacco is shown dying because of tobacco use or is shown suffering from disease caused by tobacco use in the movie, only then such an image has the potential of sending a negative message. We all would welcome tobacco in such movies. Why tobacco is a problem? Why is it so outstandingly visible now? Tobacco control is not a recent phenomenon. Tobacco control is being discussed since decades. It has a long background. How serious is the issue can be understood from the fact that in fifty seven years of its foundation, World Health Organisation (WHO) came up with only one public health treaty and that’s on Tobacco. The first ever WHO treaty called Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was negotiated over eight long years during which numerous public hearings took place and tons of scientific evidences were evaluated. 168 countries, constituting over world’s 90 percent population agreed on legal measures necessary to contain tobacco and signed FCTC. 116 of these countries have ratified the FCTC making it legally binding on them to further the objectives mentioned in FCTC. Indian ratified it in 2004. Tobacco kills over 2200 people every day in India and still over 5500 youngsters initiate tobacco consumption every day. Half of these youngsters will eventually die because of tobacco consumption. Is tobacco consumption not normal and a true reflection of the society? No, tobacco consumption is not a normal behaviour. Tobacco has been promoted by commercial organizations for over 150 years just to make profit. Since a lot of people consume tobacco so it might appear as normal to a person ignorant about the real facts but actually tobacco use is a chemical addiction. It is just like any other harmful drug with a difference that it kills a little slower when compared to other drugs. Why not ban tobacco altogether? Yes it a good idea but tobacco can not be banned out rightly, it has to be phased out and these steps (of banning tobacco visibility) are steps in that direction. It may take 30-50 years to phase it completely. I think this should serve to dispel many of twisted ideas and misinformation spread by many people and organisations. If you feel you have more questions, please be free to send me a mail.
Watch how Hindi Movies are pushing chemical addiction You can download a 7 minutes film (Projection quality) from http://www.bigupload.com/php/download_frame.php?id_file=E50498CC 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
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 too.
Milkha Singh Motivated Youngsters
The children and youngsters were thrilled to their core to find a real life hero in the form of flying Sikh among them at the Burning Brain Society annual awards function. Thirty seven creative and talented youngsters received their prizes from Padma shri Milkha Singh. Speaking on the occasion, Milkha Singh said that there is no shortcut to hard work if one wants to achieve success in life. Mr. Singh exerted upon the students to have a firm belief in oneself and to lead a disciplined life to achieve excellence. Mr. Milkha Singh rued that India could not produce another athlete of international repute for the last 50 years despite now there being much more incentives now. Youngsters showed lot of interest and asked questions from Milkha Singh about his life and achievements which he most willingly answered. Even after the function was over the youngsters still kept on insisting him for a photograph or an autograph on their certificates and has scores of questions for him. Mr. Hemant Goswami, chairperson of Burning Brain Society said that the ways of the government were strange as it fails to recognise real life heroes and believe in just making phoney noise. The Government must use the positive qualities and talents of real national heroes to motivate and streamline the energies of the youngsters as at the end of the day it’s not petty politics or dummy pretences or sham concerns which will make India great, but only rightly spent creative energies, real efforts and true innovations which will transform India into a great country, for which it has the potential, added Goswami. Look up to real life heroes for emulation and selecting your role models instead of the false heroes and movie stars was the message of Mr. Hemant to the youngsters. Mr. Aditya Prakash, the renowned architect and artist, Mr. Bheem Malhotra, also a renowned artist, Mr. V. N. Singh, Director Art Gallery & Museum, Dr. D. P. S. Sehgal were the other dignitaries who interacted with the youngsters.
Express your opinion After you go through the report on "Tobacco in Movies" please go ahead to fill the feedback form. We welcome your comments, questions and/or suggestions. Please fill up the form to help us understand how you feel about the issue of tobacco in movies, in general, and this research study in specific. The form is available at http://www.burningbrain.org/tobaccoinmovies/contact_form.htm
Where Einstein was wrong We would like to introduce to you the paper of a young scientist and a member of Burning Brain Society, Ajay Sharma. Mr. Sharma critically analyzed Einstein’s original paper published in Annalen der Physik in which Einstein published E=mc2. Ajay found some serious incongruity in Einstein's derived equation which proves that even Einstein’s derivation of E=mc2 results in contradiction of law of conservation of matter if results are analyzed over a wider range. It was unnoticed by scientific community but now, after Ajay's paper, it has been proposed to modify E=mc2 for certain calculations. The paper is accepted for presentation in over 50 international conferences and was presented by Mr. Ajay Sharma himself in two conferences in University of Warwick and Oxford in 2005. This paper is available from international Journal of Research Physics Essays and is available online for US $4 from the Journal's site. For BBS members it available for free download from http://www.burningbrain.org/pdf/ajaysharma_einstein.pdf
A Thoughtful Word Another BBS member, Deepak Khetarpal has a thoughtful message for everyone.
When Life thanks
Deepak Khetarpal
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