Delhi University pledges to kick the butt

In an initiative organised by Apollo Hospitals as part of their Billion Hearts Beating campaign, volunteers took a giant ashtray - seven feet in diameter - across colleges and invited people to stub their cigarettes and pledge to quit smoking.

Delhi University (DU) took a grand pledge to kick the butt this week. In an initiative organised by Apollo Hospitals as part of their Billion Hearts Beating campaign, volunteers took a giant ashtray - seven feet in diameter - across colleges and invited people to stub their cigarettes and pledge to quit smoking.

On Wednesday, the ashtray was taken to Sri Venkateswara College, Moti Lal Nehru College and the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce in South Campus. On Thursday, the volunteers visited many colleges in North Campus to mark the World Heart Day. Among the colleges visited were Miranda House, St Stephen’s, Hans Raj College and Law College.

“The idea is to remind people that smoking is bad for your heart and encourage them to quit smoking,” says Manish Porwal of Alchemist, which has conceptualised the initiative. The ashtray, which has been made of fibre and steel, has also been sent to the Guinness Book Of World Records to be recognised as the world’s largest ashtray. After doing the rounds of DU, the ashtray will be displayed at Apollo Hospital.

Also part of the initiative on campus were TV personality Rannvijay and actor Ayesha Takia. “I have never taken to smoking and wonder why the youth is pressurised to take it up,” said Rannvijay, talking to the students who came to kick the butt.

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To quit, log on
As part of the Billion Hearts Beating campaign, people can take an online pledge to quit smoking and will be sent tips and guidelines on how they can sustain their decision. To check it out, log on to www.billionheartsbeating.com/