Now the Health Ministry has issued directive that Individuals smoking in their offices will now invite penalty for their institutions .The fine can be Rs 5000 for the institution, and if three people are caught ,it will be Rs15000. It will be increased from Rs200 to Rs 1000 in individual cases.

I have been a strong critique right from my childhood against the smoking. I have had the opportunity of pulling out beedi from the co-mouth-chimni-passengers in the trains and buses and throwing them out.In one of the self discovery programmes ,I had openly revealed that I hate and don't tolerate two things; one is misbehavior and the other is smoking. I has to go through the worst part of my life for opposing a chain smoker ,who was in a senior position and had the sadist pleasure of puffing and throwing smokes people around him during office as well as public gatherings . He was taking undue advantage of his position of smoking in the presence of ladies, that too calling them to his chamber and creating ring of smokes around the face of the fair sex. I still wonder as to why these ladies, who are supposed to be empowered in their own right, kept their mouth shut for this type of audacity and maintained their undignified silence over such a serious issue. I had the courage to oppose him in one of the open meetings and say "your smoking is injurious to my health...". For this sentence ,I had to suffer for two precious years of my life and face the wrath's of office politics and donkey behaviors of a few colleagues who enjoyed and worshipped the smoker in public and abused him in the private. That was the worst behavior of double speaking that I have ever seen in my life and was more that the famous "1984" of George Orwell.

In my opinion ,more than the smoker, it is the passive smokers who were responsible for the pathetic situation of the office. It is the onlookers, colleagues and the passive smokers who are the criminals  than the smoker ,for you are a part of the crime if you do not oppose the crime. While the effort   of health minister is appreciated and this is one step forward to curb smoking, Health Minister should also propose some reward for those who are opposing such a menace of the society fearlessly and supporting the cause. This will be a recognition and many brave hearts will come forward to support the movement.