Curse of Kharra on Nagpur

Kharra, a mixture of tobacco and areca nut(supari) has been haunting the streets and walls of Nagpur since time immemorial. It has been banned many times; the last notification to ban it was in the year 2020. But that doesn’t seem to bother its sellers, who blatantly sell it without any fear of consequence, legally and healthwise.

Deadly Addiction

Kharra is a plague. It is heartbreaking to see the youth of Nagpur addicted to it, red mouthed, not caring about the cancer it may cause. As per the national centre of biotechnology information (ncbi), kharra causes oral sub-mucous fibrosis, an oral disease and can transform into cancer if not treated in time. However the addiction of it has engulfed the Nagpur youth who are unaware of this fact.

Bans imposed and Violated

Who to blame seems like a simple question and most will blame the administration. They imposed a ban on kharra but never followed up on it, the same way they never followed up on the plastic ban. This is a fact and is part of the problem. The other part is the sellers of this horror we call kharra. Indians in general and Nagpurians in particular take liberty in breaking laws and rules. Be it traffic lights or queues, in a city where time is abundant, the people always seem to be in a hurry when they have to follow an instruction.

The sellers, in broad daylight sell kharra. Even the police and government officials use it. No wonder government office walls are glittering with red kharra spit. In fact, as per many roadside sellers, kharra is their second highest selling product after cigarettes. Jumping on this bandwagon, not only pan shops, but tea stalls and even snack shops have started selling kharra gauging its demand.

Spit the Plague

Accusing others is easy, the solution is far from it. Forcing a law down the public's throat only works if it is followed up on. In Nagpur’s scenario, the only thing going down people’s throat is kharra. Unless people and administration work together, there will be no end to this. Administration should take responsibility to educate people on the ill effects of kharra and also impose strict fines on anyone selling or eating it.

The people on the other hand must be willing to understand this information and identify the life threatening or long term health issues that kharra will have on their physical and mental health. Only if the elected and the electorate work together will this red devil vanish from our green city.