Tuesday, May 11, 2010

I'll stop smoking if you stop lighting aragbattis, honey

The smoke from incense sticks, commonly known as Agarbattis is as harmful and causes simlar health
problems that cigarette smoke does. An article on Sky news likens Agarbattis to Cigarettes. Why, searching for the keyords, "are incense sticks harmful" resulted in around 13000 results in Google. And most articles had the same thing to say. Incense smoke is Bad. As bad as any of your other run of the mill smokes.

But, as is the case with most Hindu festivals ( Diwali, Holi, Navratri), all is fair in the name of God, right? I have no problem with religious people, or with God. I am proud to be a Hindu, an Indian, and a citizen of the World. But what is wrong, is wrong. If we are so hell bent on banning smoking, what measures are being taken to stop the flagrant use of Incese sticks? Aren't children, elders and pregnant women exposed to those fumes? Is fighting for a curb on incense sticks too touchy a topic? Is it not sexy enough?

The only point I want to make is that while Cigarette smoking is harmful to the smoker, the passive smoker and the environment, so is lighting incense sticks. Equally so. One must be aware. It is better than rueing how that oh so religious non-smoker/tee totaler died young due to lung cancer, and how god fearing and nice people are called onto heaven early. Nope, the Incense stick smoke probably caused the Cancer, people.
And now, you know :).

Regards,