A Ghajini poster at Karim City College during the anti-tobacco campaign. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, May 11: While entering Karim City College, you come across Amitabh Bachchan with a cancer stick in his hand. Don’t be surprised, as it is not the Big B in flesh and blood but his poster spreading an important piece of information.

The advertising sales promotion and sales management students of the college have started a crusade against tobacco in their institute whpen they saw that the Centre ban on smoking did not have its desired effect.

“When adults turn a deaf ear to a burning issue, youngsters have to take it upon themselves to save the environment,” said a college student.

Posters with slogans like “Khaike Paan Banaras Wala, Pad Gaya Mukh Cancer Se Pala”, “Oonche Log, Oonche Pasand, Oonchi Bimari”, “Beedi Jalai De Jigar Ko Piya, Beedi Ma Lagi Aag Hai” are donning the walls of the college.

“We thought of coming up with an innovative campaign so that it attracts people. We used some of the popular Bollywood songs, posters and just changed the words a bit to have a negative effect and create awareness about tobacco,” said Mithilesh Choubey, a faculty member of the advertising department.

“We started our campaign at the college because according to recent reports, students form a major portion of tobacco consumers,” he added.

The department has put up around 16 posters with such slogans and graphics on it to generate awareness among college-goers. The students want to take the campaign to other colleges as well.

In one poster, the advertising students have made use of the Ghajini concept. Designed by Sunil Prasad, the poster turned many a head at the institute.

“I thought Aamir Khan’s eight-pack abs was the best place to scribble my thoughts. With no tobacco, don’t smoke written on his chest, the poster depicts that when the actor regains his memory he is reminded to avoid tobacco,” said Prasad.

“There is a thought behind every poster designed by the students. One poster bears a slogan — She Will Follow You Wherever You Go — and it very much applies to passive smokers also as the smoke follows them wherever they go, courtesy active smokers,” said Choubey.

“To use the same songs, posters but with a motive opposite to the existing one was difficult. But the activity has generated confidence among us. We can understand what it will be like working in advertising agencies,” said Irshad Khan, another student.