Awareness, Responsibility and Opportunity

 

An interesting incident happened today. Rather I put my foot into something on social media which does not happen very often. 

I follow many vendors who sell sarees, blouses and other related textile products. One such vendor whose products I admire but have never purchased had a new video showcasing their blouses on a model. The theme was rather sultry what with the pouts and other provocative gestures she was making, her plunging neckline and the overall sensuousness suggestive of a naughty girl combined with a musical track that matched the theme. While the theme itself is not something that suits my taste I thought it was done quite attractively. The only thing objectionable I found was that the woman was shown lighting and smoking a cigarette. 

My career as a primary care physician in the USA has focused on the wellbeing of patients. I have seen from close quarters the hazards of lifelong habits of smoking. The faces of my patients who lost their battles with lung or oral cancers and copd are etched in my brain. I have served as a tobacco cessation champion for my organization and helped hundreds of people come off their nicotine addiction. In the past year I ventured into carrying over my experience to India, introducing the concept of Preventive medicine there. During that period I became acutely aware of the burden of tobacco amongst Indian citizens. Kids as young as 9 are initiated into chewing or smoking tobacco. Incidence of school and college girls smoking has been rising at rates never seen before. The incidence and prevalence of tobacco related illnesses including cancer and heart disease is high and rising in India. Death rates from these diseases are alarming. There are a lot of professionals out there who are tirelessly working, trying to change this trend by raising public awareness and putting pressure on the government to introduce measures to curb the use of tobacco. Yet, their primary adversary, the mighty tobacco industry is formidable and the battle is uphill. Many times it feels like a lost cause. Yet people like me who can see the ongoing damage are not prepared to give up. We open our mouths with the hope that someone will listen, and perhaps that one, even if it is one in a million, will lead to a life changed, a life saved. 

And that is precisely what made me comment today on that posted video. Could they have made that video just as beautiful without using the cigarette?

 I got a diplomatic response from the vendor to my question. It was a statement acknowledging my concern yet standing their ground that the cigarette was a mere prop to “stay in character”.

 A few years back I would have argued back and forth on the issue. This time I refrained. I had already made my point. Silence was now a more powerful statement than words. There was more likelihood that the person may think if I didn’t follow with more words. Words are like knives. They become blunt with repeated use.

The small exchange however made me think a bit more. I put myself in the shoes of the vendor and her team who made and shared that video. It was a creative project no doubt. A lot had gone into it to stay true to the theme. They were definitely not actively endorsing smoking. Yet they were obviously in denial about the influence of such propaganda on viewers and also unaware of the current social trends with smoking in women and its impact on their lives. If they had the slightest awareness it would have served to think a bit deeper about the use of cigarettes as a prop. Instead of merely marketing the product for the sake of style and novelty, they had an opportunity to incorporate social responsibility while being creative. 

Awareness inevitably connects with responsibility. To invite awareness the mind must be open wide for education at every step. The ego must learn to be less assertive, less inclined to defend itself for every action. And that is the hard part. To be able to go back and revisit one’s act with new awareness and fresh outlook allows for growth as a human being. 

Whether or not the vendor will recognize the opportunity from today’s incident I surely took a lesson or two from it. 

 Opportunities often arrive in disguise and are hence easy to miss. Deflecting suggestions in a bid to stand our ground is understandable but not always the best option before us. It compromises humility as well as learning.

Infusing social awareness and responsibility with our individual creativity brings more meaningful outcomes. If I had created that video and made a conscious decision to not use the cigarette in the portrayal no one would’ve noticed or known my thoughtfulness. Only I would have the satisfaction knowing that I quietly picked an option in the interest of my fellow citizens as opposed to “staying in character “ with the theme of the presentation at any cost. And, by the single small change, my work would gather more meaning.

Lastly, the issue that I struggle with at a personal level, about whether to “point out” or not. Today the quote from Samarth Ramdas comes to mind.

Je je apanasi thave te te itaransi shikavave

Shahane karun sodave sakal jan 

Whatever one knows, one must teach others. Make everyone smart as you.

Especially in today’s world dominated by social media  it is both easy and tough to “teach” anyone. You observe some things that you know are harmful and the good citizen in you wants to bring a change. Yet your “advice” is not taken kindly. It is perceived as unsolicited, misplaced , unnecessary, troublesome and disrespectful. 

After watching the video today and feeling strongly about the smoking scene I paused. I took time to word my thoughts carefully. It was obvious that they don’t know how quietly, unknowingly and unintentionally they are feeding into the fashion of smoking amongst Indian women. Ironically there was a certainty somewhere in my mind that it would make no difference to the video makers even if they knew this. Yet something inside me said I must voice my concerns. And so I did. I paid attention to staying courteous. And succinct. Resisting the temptation to argue further. Idea was to leave the door open for reflection. 

My father’s words sound in my mind today. If you do something, statistically there is 50% chance of success. If you don’t attempt, there is 100% guarantee of failure. I may never know if they, the people I opened my thoughts to, took the time to think. It doesn’t matter. I chose the better option before me.

Saree is one of the finest bandha( tie-dye or ikat) weaves from Nuapatna. Odisha’s celebrated weaver Mr Sarat Patra has employed the traditional Odiya Alpana and Jhoti motifs on mulberry silk using natural dyes. Pictures taken by Amita at the Marina in San Francisco. The sun and wind did not allow for better pictures that evening. Seen behind me in the waters is the famous SF landmark The Alcatraz.