LLAHABAD: The principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Manauri Shalini Dikshit was shocked to know that a student of class XII Ravi (name changed) was found in an intoxicated state in school. Ravi was addicted to smelling sprit available at chemistry laboratory. He was rusticated from the school.
The case of Ravi is not a lone case of drug addiction in the city, rather it's becoming a growing trend among adolescent and youths. The younger generation is rapidly getting addicted to smoking, liquor and even drugs. What is more shocking is the usage of wide range of substances being used by youths which include inhaling whitener, spirit, petrol, iodex, besides smoking costly cigarettes and getting addicted to alcohol and gutka laced cold drinks.
Although, there is no demarcated area or locality which could be identified as more or less in the grip of this menace, youths residing in the areas located close to slums, interior colonies and those habited by the lower income group people are more vulnerable of being grabbed in the clutches of this dreaded practice. Even the IG zone, Allahabad, last year, had caught three minors near the Allahabad Junction while they were found smelling some drugs.
Be it the tattered road side make-shift shed or betel shops in a remote crossing which is within an approachable but safe distance from the eminent English medium schools of the city, adolescents and youths in school uniform could be spotted. The addiction could be anything from consuming Iodex pasted on bread to drinking laboratory sprit which they call turatithe name derived from the time duration it takes to intoxicate the addicted and minimal price in which it is available.
But, what forces the youths to get addicted to such substances, is a big question in store. "Peer pressure, boredom, frustration, academic and parental pressures, even genetic factors and lack of emotional support are some of the reasons that make the youth go astray and seek temporal solace in the world of intoxicants,'' says Prof Deepa Punetha, a faculty in the department of psychology, Allahabad University. Teenagers, who feel unwanted or fail to adjust themselves in the society, too, wander into the world of addictive substances, she adds.
She, however, advises parents to keep a close watch on their wards if they notice any change in their behaviour. Children or youth, who get addicted to intoxicants, show behavioural changes and prefer staying aloof, loss of interest in academics and even hobbies, become less interactive and can have frequent bouts of temper, become less friendly etc. On noticing such changes in their wards, parents should either try to counsel them on their own or seek the advice of experts.
Earlier, Allahabad was free from such evils. But with changing times and the influence of other cultures, the youth in the city are gleefully opening to tobacco products and even drugs. The easy availability of such products, too, gives a fillip to such products. Scores of `paan' shops can be seen in the proximity of educational institutions in the city. Then, the liquor shops have started coming up in residential areas which lure young minds towards them. There are occasions when youngsters, under peer pressure, fall in the vicious circle of tobacco and drugs, said Dr Ravi Mahrotra, professor at department of Pathology, MLN Medical College and who is known for pioneering research in the field of prevalence of cancer.
"What we see today is school kids standing on `paan' shops and smoking costly cigarettes. In my opinion, it is the cultural values which are on a rapid decline. Parents, too, are responsible for this who provide ocean of facilities to children,'' said Prof A Satyanarayan, noted sociologist and faculty at AU.
Among other things, `whitener' (a stationery product) is being used as a form of addictive substance. Since, it is cheap and easily available, many youngsters are getting addicted to it. Issuing a word of caution for youngsters using these items for addiction a faculty member of chemistry department at Allahabad University, Prof Jagdamba Singh said, "Since the primary contents of whitener and diluter are alcohol they are being increasingly used by youngsters for intoxication. Once they are combined with the other chemical acetone present in the whitener and diluter they depress the central nervous system of the body. For some moments, it puts an addict on a high but it has serious consequences in the long r un. Prolonged use of these chemicals may result in blindness, diabetes, kidney disorder and cancer also.''
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