Palamu government school uses Durga-themed play to promote tobacco- and drug-free campuses
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, October 23: In an innovative effort to discourage tobacco and drug use among students, Rajkiyakrit Madhya Vidyalaya…
Class VIII student Anushka Kumari portrays Goddess Durga as she punctures balloons symbolising tobacco and other addictive substances during an awareness programme at Rajkiyakrit Madhya Vidyalaya Rajwadeeh in Palamu. Headmaster Parshuram Tiwary is seen raising his hands in celebration of the symbolic victory over social evils.
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, October 23: In an innovative effort to discourage tobacco and drug use among students, Rajkiyakrit Madhya Vidyalaya Rajwadeeh in Palamu district has used a short theatrical performance depicting Goddess Durga’s victory over evil to spread awareness about substance abuse on educational campuses.
The campaign, held on October 16, combined mythology with a social message, urging students to reject tobacco and drugs and help keep their school and its surroundings free from such substances.
Headmaster Parshuram Tiwary said the initiative was conceived and produced by the school’s own team of teachers, without borrowing a script or dialogue from elsewhere.
Class VIII Student Portrays Goddess Durga
Anushka Kumari, a Class VIII student, portrayed Goddess Durga in the one-act play. Wearing a crown, jewellery, a brightly coloured saree and an artificial trident, she represented the divine force confronting social evils.
Five multicoloured balloons represented ganja, gutkha, tobacco, cigarettes and alcohol. In the performance, Anushka punctured the balloons one by one, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.
Tiwary said Anushka had never performed on stage before but enacted the role with confidence and emotional expression.
The performance was watched by 116 students out of the school’s total enrolment of 130. The institution caters to students from Classes VI to VIII.
“Our message was simple. It was plain and ordinary. Kill abuse of tobacco and drug on the campus and in its vicinity,” Tiwary said.
He added that he had conceived the story, while teacher Nisha directed the performance. Teachers Priyanka, Poonam and V. K. Thakur, along with laboratory instructor Anoop Kumar Mishra, also supported the initiative.
Palamu Steps Up Campaign Against Tobacco Sales Near Schools
District Education Officer Sandeep Kumar said the campaign against tobacco use and drug abuse was gaining momentum across Palamu. The district has 2,903 government, aided and private schools, he said.
Responding to concerns about the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions, Kumar said authorities had identified five locations where such violations were reported and were taking action.
A district-level task force headed by Deputy Commissioner Dilip Pratap Singh Shekhawat meets every 15 days to monitor, assess and review efforts to promote tobacco- and drug-free educational campuses, he added.
19 Raids Conducted, Violators Fined ₹5,650
Civil Surgeon Dr Anil Kumar Sriwastwa, the designated officer for the campaign, said teams comprising food safety officials had conducted 19 raids in the vicinity of schools over the past few weeks. Violators had been fined a total of ₹5,650, he said.
Sriwastwa cited an incident in Daltonganj in which he visited a shop near the main entrance of a government school and asked for a cigarette. The shopkeeper allegedly supplied one despite the outlet’s proximity to the institution and was fined on the spot, he said.
He stressed that cigarettes, khaini and other tobacco products should not be sold in the prohibited zone around educational institutions.
Law Prohibits Tobacco Sales Near Educational Institutions
Section 6(b) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) prohibits the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products within 100 yards of an educational institution.
The district administration’s campaign aims to strengthen compliance with the law and protect students from exposure to tobacco products and substance abuse.
The report also recalled a 2017 incident in which Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal was fined ₹200 by a COTPA magistrate after a public complaint about smoking on the platform at Daltonganj railway station while he was in the town for a film shoot.
Tiwary said the school’s theatrical initiative was intended to encourage students to stand against social evils through a creative and memorable message.
