Healthy Soch
Today It’s the Cigarette’s Funeral, Tomorrow Don’t Let It Be Yours”: TGH Onco-Life’s Awareness Drive
India
healthysoch
Talegaon/Chandigarh: June 01, 2026:
TGH Onco-Life Cancer Centre organised a unique awareness activity titled “Funeral of a Cigarette” on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day to spread awareness about the dangerous effects of tobacco consumption and smoking. Through a symbolic funeral procession, emotional play, and public awareness rally, the cancer centre encouraged citizens, especially youth, to quit tobacco and choose a healthier future.
The doctors, hospital staff, patients’ relatives, students, and citizens came together to participate in this impactful initiative. The event featured college students carrying a giant symbolic cigarette decorated like a funeral bier with banners reading “RIP Smoking” and “Tobacco-Free India.” The emotional play highlighted how smoking slowly damages the lungs, throat, heart, and overall health while silently leading people towards cancer and life-threatening illnesses.
Tobacco consumption remains one of the leading causes of oral cancer, throat cancer, lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illnesses. Smoking and chewing tobacco can initially cause symptoms such as persistent cough, mouth ulcers that do not heal, bleeding gums, white or red patches inside the mouth, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness of voice, chest pain, and unexplained weight loss. Unfortunately, many people ignore these warning signs until the disease reaches an advanced stage. Prolonged tobacco use can severely damage not only the smoker but also family members exposed to second-hand smoke. Treatment for tobacco-related cancers may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, lifestyle changes, and long-term rehabilitation, depending on the stage of the disease. Early diagnosis and quitting tobacco at the right time can significantly improve survival and quality of life.
Speaking about the initiative, Sachin Deshmukh, Managing Director, TGH Onco Life Cancer Centre, said, “This awareness drive was organised to create a strong emotional impact on society, especially among young people who often start smoking casually without understanding its long-term consequences. Tobacco slowly destroys health, families, and lives. Through this symbolic funeral procession, we wanted to send a simple but powerful message: Quit tobacco before it takes away your future. “Today it is the funeral of a cigarette… tomorrow, don’t let tobacco destroy your life.”
The event concluded with participants taking a pledge for a tobacco-free society while raising slogans such as “Say No To Tobacco,” “Smoking Kills,” and “Choose Life Over Addiction.”
