The Brave Pedestrian

Ever wondered how cigarette and bidi adverts would look if genuine users endorsed them? Well here are some specimens. These are adverts made with real people -- real tobacco users who were, not surprisingly, patients at Tata Memorial Hospital back in 2012. Some of these people are alive, while others have passed on. Image: http://tinyurl.com/Malegaon-ka-superrman In October 2012, I interviewed almost all of the people in these ads -- with the sole exception of "Malegaon Ka Superrman" lead actor Shafique Shaikh (who had already died). And these guys told me, up close and personal, how much they had enjoyed chewing and smoking tobacco -- up until the point that it ravaged their bodies. Image: http://tinyurl.com/Gutka-barons Some of these people are still alive, but their bodies have been ravaged by radiation-therapy, surgery and chemotherapy. Some who were diagnosed with oral cancer have had half their lower or upper jaw removed, along wit...

July 28, 2009:  What they don’t teach you at school is that being a winner in life isn’t about winning in all that you do, but about building a good relationship of friendly give-and-take with the universe. How do you do that? Well, mostly by trusting and being trustworthy. You set out every morning trusting that the world and its creatures will treat you right, and play fair. You cultivate a habit of casting a generally benign eye at everything and everyone. Without necessarily becoming a do-gooder or busybody, you should generally feel that if the call to serve comes (whatever that means in any particular context), you will serve honestly and give of yourself generously, without pulling back. It is this sort of vague but firm belief that we have in our key relationships — with our parents, siblings, spouses, children and close friends. In the absence of this promise to the world, your relationship with the world and all that lives in it,  including yourself , is o...