FIFTH COLUMN

Eat, drink and think

By Sushma

Development in terms of health and education are yet to make their impact in the remote corners of Nepal but alcohol, cigarettes, soft drinks and readymade noodles certainly have. Any tiny shop is sure to have one side of its shelf full of the items; but ask for an Aspirin for your headache or a Cetamol for your fever and it sure is a headache finding a shop that sells it!

Ilam, the idyllic hilly town, rather romantic with its lush undulating landscape playing hide and seek with the unpredictable layers of fog and the meandering roads; has quite a few sore sights - that of men weaving drunk across the roads. There are many other smaller towns less picturesque but most of them  have one thing in common - drunkards at any time of day and night, youth puffing away and tiny hands reaching out for a soft drink, muti-coloured sweets or a packet of readymade noodles.

It sure is a temptation for an uneducated, poor and most likely unemployed person to reach out for a bottle of liqour with the money that is meant for a kilo of rice. It is no big deal for a bored and frustrated person with some money to kill time with a bottle that are so easily available at any corner. The situation is very much the same in other parts of the country.

We are yet to have an accurate estimate of people afflicted with the disease of alcoholism and its dire impact on the family structure that eventually weakens the whole social fabric. Even without a figure, we can very well guess the rot that has set in thanks to indiscriminate, uncontrolled consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.

The negative impact of carbonated soft drinks on health is no less but its massive advertising campaigns sure have succeeded in making people reach out for a bottle of artificial coloured drink rather than for a can of fruit juice or a bottle of chilled water. Most people with their inherent lazy nature would rather make do with a packet of noodles than prepare a healthy, fresh, nutritious meal for their children.

It is amazing how we have fail to notice the weaknesses that are proliferating right under our noses.  Sale of hard drinks must be regulated. If only a few outlets sell it at certain times of day in an area, and an adult allowed only a certain amount of purchase, it would certainly serve as a deterrant to casual drinkers. Needless to add, die hard drinkers will find ways and means to meet their needs. It however would not encourage the young to try out these negative elements. A casual drinker would think twice about walking all the way to the spot where the drinks are available and or to stand in the queue. There is a big difference in the consumption of something easily available and difficult to avail of.

The youth as well as the adults must also be educated on the harmful effects of cigarettes, tobacco etc., and other unhealthy food and drink items. Just because they are advertised so cleverly does not mean they are good. Surely,  we care more about our own health and well being than the economy of the companies that produce these products?