Mahinder Patyal
Bharmour: A special awareness programme was organised at the Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) at Bharmour in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh on the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day on Saturday (May 31, 2025).
Under the leadership of Principal Aruna Chadak, the event aimed to raise awareness among students and the community about the harmful effects of tobacco use.
Speaking on the occasion, the Principal noted a positive shift in youth behaviour, stating that “compared to previous generations, today’s youth show significantly less inclination towards smoking bidis or cigarettes”. She acknowledged that while other forms of substance abuse have emerged, the presence of such habits among school-going children and villagers has visibly declined. “Traditional practices like hookah use have nearly vanished,” she said.
To mark the day, the school hosted a variety of competitions, including slogan-writing, poster-making, essay-writing and declamation, all centered around the theme of tobacco prohibition.
Winners of competitions
In slogan-writing, Anshika (Class 11) stood first, Aneesh (Class 11) second and Naitik (Class 11) third. In poster-making, Deepika (Class 12) stood first, Anshika (Class 11) second and Mohini (Class 11) third. In essay-writing, Ruchika stood first, Ansh second and Hari Haran third. In declamation contest, Ansh (Class 11) stood first, Ritika second and Hari Haran third.
A rally was also organised under the supervision of Nodal Officer Vijay Sharma, with students and teachers participating to spread awareness in the surrounding community.
Several faculty members were present and supported the initiative, among them Krishna Pakhretia, Vijay Kumar, Om Prakash, Ashok Sharma, Chaman Singh, Shankar Paul, Jagdish Chand, Karnail Singh, Omendra Singh, Rekha Vaidya, Parveen Kumari, Lajiya Devi, Monika Devi, Anamika Thakur, Anamika Sharma, Neelam Thakur and Poonam Rani.
