Bhopal, June 1 -- Bhopal continues to wotness a growing oral cancer crisis. Yet, its anti-tobacco efforts remain culturally misaligned, poorly enforced and structurally unsupported. On World No Tobacco Day, the gap between awareness and action is stark.
Cultural tobacco use lies at the heart of the problem. A large section of Bhopal's population traces its roots to Pashtun settlers, locally called Pathans. In South Asia, many Pashtun communities have long used tobacco-particularly in smokeless forms-as part of everyday life.
In Bhopal, products like gutkha, zarda and betel quid are commonly used, especially by men. In many households, these items are normalised, and use begins as early as the teenage years.
In older parts of the city, of...