01 June 2011
By Nitesh Kumar Sharma
Jaipur, India
Setting an Example
A remote village in Rajasthan brings to mind the image of some turban-clad villagers sitting under a big neem tree on a choupal smoking or chewing tobacco amid friendly chats. But in this nondescript village of 200 Jat families, you will find everything just the same —except the tobacco.
It is claimed that for the past 500 years not a single resident has smoked or chewed tobacco at Sarana village of Ajmer district. In fact, they claim not to know how it tastes or looks like!
And like in many other things about a Rajasthani village, a superstition is the reason why they shun this slow poison as evil. The villagers told TOI that about 500 year ago, there were two brothers from Beechar gotra of Jaat community in the village.
At that time, a girl whose fiancee had died committed sati (burnt herself on her husband’s pyre), but before that she pronounced a curse that anybody from her gotra who will consume tobacco will never lead a happy life. "The girl was the daughter of one of the brothers. She was engaged to a man who died. She wanted to become a ‘sati’ which was being opposed by her uncle. When she was leaving to become a sati, the uncle was smoking a hukkah, " said the village’s sarpanch Radhadevi Bairwa.
"He was so engrossed in smoking that he did not lift his head and look at her. The girl thought it was an insult and she gave the curse before burning herself on her husband’s pyre, " said Bairwa. She added that due to the curse, the uncle faced difficulties in his life.
Over the 500 years, the girl’s family has expanded to 200 families with over 1,000 members. "There are about 200 youths in these families who have gone out of the village for higher studies. But not a single person consumes tobacco in any form till date, " said Bairwa. Another villager Kaluram Bairwa said that the villagers are not friendly to outsiders who consume alcohol. "If you get a lift in a vehicle from this village and start smoking, the driver will literally throw you out, " said Kaluram.
He added that since early childhood a person is constantly taught how evil consuming tobacco is for the community. "Besides, the person doesn’t get the environment. If he or she sees nobody around him consuming it, he will never consider trying, " said Kaluram.
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