Jyothirgamaya: Spreading the light of awareness

Ms Deepa Nair Reports

For the students of DAV Public School, New Delhi, it was a perfect culmination to Diwali, the Festival of Lights, when they took an oath and lit candles in allegiance to a campaign against Alcohol & Substance Abuse among Adolescents, organised by Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance (IAPA) on 14 November 2011.

More than 2000 students, aged between 13 and 16 took an oath, as Derek Rutherford, Chairman, Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA), read out the pledge to refrain oneself from alcohol and substance use. The atmosphere was charged with this conviction when students whole-heartedly participated in this unique half-day activity where they met the change-makers.

This initiative was launched by IAPA with the support of the National Centre for Drug Abuse Prevention (NCDAP), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India. In addition to Derek Rutherford, Sven Olov Carlsson (President, IOGT International), Dr S Arul Rhaj (Chairman, Commonwealth Health Professions Alliance), Johnson J Edayaranmula (Executive Director, IAPA) and Dr V Singh (Principal, DAV School) addressed the audience.

In an enlightening speech, Derek Rutherford reminded the students that India is the birthplace of Temperance. It is also the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and an idyllic garden which whole-heartedly embraces Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He exhorted the need for us continually to relearn the lessons and wisdom of the past, of all religions and cultures. He also gave statistics to support these claims. Alcohol kills 2.5 million people and is the third leading risk factor for deaths globally - 4% of all deaths in the world. It is the leading risk factor for death among young people between 15 and 29 years of age. He also brought to focus the passive eff ects of alcohol misuse which are catastrophic – crimes, rape, sexual assault, domestic and other violence, drink driving and street disorder; in addition to the fact that alcohol affects more innocent victims than passive smoking.

Derek Rutherford pointed out that in India – the land of Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi – ironically, 50% of Indians who drink, drink at hazardous levels, and of the 70 million alcohol users, 12 million are alcohol dependent. In financial terms, this would mean a cost of 244 Billion Rupees to the society, from a market that brings in revenue of 216 Billion Rupees to the State exchequer. Recalling the strong ties between the IOGT Movement and the Indian Temperance Organisations, Sven-Olov Carlsson, in his speech, stated that the WHO Global Strategy has opened up new avenues for further co-operation for alcohol advocacy initiatives. “Mobilising and empowering the younger generation shall be the key strategy in prevention activities”, he added.

Dr Arulrhaj, in his address, stated that alcohol prevention needs to be among the priorities of any Government which seeks the welfare of the people and reiterated the support of the Indian Alcohol Policy Alliance for all Governmental and Non-Governmental efforts in addressing alcohol-related harm.

Summing up, Johnson J Edayaranmula ended his short but thought-provoking speech by exhorting the students to think and act. He said, “Your future is in your hands. You can make it or break it”.

Dr V Singh thanking Johnson Edayaranmula (IAPA),
who organised the event on behalf of IAPA
and the Indian Ministry of of Social Justice

This was followed by an interactive session where these experts answered queries posed by students on the topic of alcohol and substance use.

Adding more color to the day was the cultural bonanza, when students performed several art forms and cultural programs they had put together for the visiting delegation. According to Dr V Singh, Principal, DAV School, “Th is was indeed a one-of-its kind event for us – relevant, succinct and pragmatic. As a person committed to imparting the best of knowledge and values to the next generation, I strongly believe that we need to build in our children the sensibility and judgment to differentiate right from the wrong. They, after all, are our investment for the future. As an educationalist I understand that we need to focus on future oriented education. One of the ways we do this is to foster alliances with organisations such as IAPA. We look forward to working closely with IAPA on similar initiatives.”

According to Johnson J Edayaranmula, the mastermind behind the initiative, “Dr Singh rightly pointed out that children are the future. As people who work in this sphere, we know that when we engage educational institutions with this kind of work, there have always been positive spin-offs for students. Such activities always improve their engagement and responsibility. We plan to involve several schools in similar activities and to build stronger relationships and partnerships. I am sure this takes us one step closer to our collective goal – a world free from the harm of alcohol.”

The program, in short, was symbolically representative of its name “Jyothirgamaya” – meaning “Lead from darkness to light,” a phrase extracted from a Sanskrit prayer. This was also true to the spirit of Diwali - the Festival of Lights, which is a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil, of knowledge over ignorance.