By Dr. Sneha Jha
Each year, on May 31st, World No Tobacco Day urges us to pause and reflect—not only on the health consequences of tobacco use but also on the deceptive allure that keeps millions entrapped in its deadly embrace. The 2025 theme, “Unmasking the Appeal,” challenges us to peel back the layers of manipulation, glamour, and misinformation that tobacco companies have long used to package addiction as lifestyle.
As a Radiation Oncologists, I witness firsthand the irreversible damage tobacco inflicts on the human body. Lungs riddled with cancer, throats eaten away by disease, and hearts weakened by years of abuse—all revealed in stark black and white images. These are not just scans; they are stories of lives cut short, of families shattered, and of pain that could have been prevented.
Tobacco doesn’t just harm—it deceives. For decades, marketing campaigns have linked smoking and chewing tobacco with success, rebellion, and charm. Glossy packaging, flavoured variants, and endorsements by influential figures have made tobacco products particularly enticing to young people. Behind the polished façade, however, lies a harsh reality: over 8 million deaths worldwide each year, including 1.3 million non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke.
Closer to home, India bears a heavy burden. Nearly 1 in 10 Indian adults use tobacco in some form, leading to a surge in head, neck, and lung cancers—many of which are detected only in advanced stages when treatment is most difficult and outcomes poorest. At Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital, we are seeing a concerning rise in young patients affected by tobacco-related illnesses, a trend that reflects both the effectiveness of tobacco marketing and the lack of awareness about its consequences.
This World No Tobacco Day, let us collectively unmask this appeal. Let us empower our youth with facts, not fiction. Let parents speak openly with their children, educators embed tobacco education into curriculums, and policymakers enforce stricter bans on advertising, flavoured products, and public smoking. Health institutions, including ours, are committed to continuing outreach, early detection, and tobacco cessation support—but prevention must begin at the source.
Tobacco does not deserve a place in our lives. It is time we stop romanticizing a killer and start safeguarding our future.
Choose health. Choose truth. Choose life—without tobacco.
(Author is HOD, Radiation Oncologists Department, Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital. Views are personal.)
