The rate of dendrite addiction is high among urchins

Ranchi, July 19: Their day begins with a begging bowl at the Ranchi railway station. It ends at night with the only luxury they allow themselves, the pungent smell of dendrite.

Children in the age group of 6-14 years have found a cheap but deadly addiction. With tubes of dendrite easily available Rs 8 and Rs 15, they court danger everyday.

A young dendrite addict told this correspondent that one tube of dendrite can be shared by three or four children.

They apply the glue to their clothes and keep smelling it at regular intervals to give them the kick.

The smell of the adhesive remains on their clothes for quite some time and the children love the high from the intoxicant throughout the day.

The children when asked about their habit clam up. However, a few bold ones told The Telegraph that dendrite is available in small shops on the other side of the station.

These shops, apart from piling the regular grocery items, also maintain a generous supply of adhesive, essentially used for hardware purposes.

Empty dendrite tubes and packets can be seen strewn all over the railway yard and in the slums next to the railway station.

A local NGO, Citizens’ Foundation, has taken note of the problem of the urchins at the railway station and prepared a “concept note” for the de-addiction and rehabilitation programme.

The detailed report by the NGO has also been submitted to Jharkhand Education Project Council director. Citizens’ Foundation secretary Ganesh Reddy said a survey would be conducted to ascertain the facts related to the children and their addiction pattern.

“A team of members is expected to visit Sealdah station at Calcutta where a rehabilitation programme for dendrite addicts is being conducted by another organisation,” Reddy said.

Explaining the habit of smelling dendrite as an organic solvent addiction, Central Institute of Psychiatry chief medical officer Sayeed Akhtar said the children get addicted to the smell of the organic solvent in the adhesive.

“The dependence on the smell of adhesive becomes very strong and becomes hard for the children to resist. Prolonged inhalation of toxic fumes of the solvent affect blood, heart, kidney and lungs. The adhesive contains heavy metals like lead, iron and aluminium, which reduces the oxygen carrying capacity in the blood,” Akhtar added.

Despite knowing the addiction of children, the slum dwellers do not speak and keep their lips sealed.

A porter in the station said the children living in the slums got addicted to dendrite from some urchins who came in from trains coming from the Delhi. These children migrate from one place to another on trains. They beg and sweep the coaches to earn money with which they buy intoxicants, the porter added.

Medical practitioner and social worker Siddhartha Mukherjee said he has come across many children who consume and inhale dendrite. The adhesive has a chemical solvent, which is used for sticking things. This solvent gives a high when inhaled or taken orally, Mukherjee added.