Teenagers in Hyderabad no longer consider cigarettes cool. But no joyous conclusion is warranted from this statement -- the kids have merely shifted allegiance to another form of tobacco. They are increasingly becoming hooked to the hookah.
A global youth tobacco survey says “14.1 % of Indian students in grades 8 to 10 use some form of tobacco”.
And those in Hyderabad, as in other metros, are getting their kicks -- in posh cafes mostly -- from the pipe that draws smoke through water, making bubbly, gurgling sounds as it does so. For beginners, flavoured tobacco -- a mix of tobacco, molasses, honey and fruit -- is the easiest option, and blueberry mint and green apple are the most popular.
Hookah parlours are springing up all over town and most of them don’t even ask for an ID to verify age.
“I have gone to hookah bars many times with friends and no one has ever asked me about my age, though I look nowhere close to 18,” chuckles 15-yearold Aarti Nazgul. Just swaggering in confidently seems to do the trick -- and it’s better to act knowledgeable by not asking for the menu but ordering straightaway -- but in any case hookah joints seem hardly inclined to turn away custom.
“Initially, I was doubtful that one would be given a hookah so easily. Nevertheless, I went to three places recommended by my peers and ordered three separate hookahs: blueberry mint, green apple, and plain tobacco. The aura at all of these places was exciting and the clientele almost entirely teenaged except for a few older college students.
“I walked into each place confidently and didn’t ask for a menu. The waiters didn’t bother giving me a second glance. Not one person at any of these places bothered asking me about my age or for ID proof. I am 15,’’ says a teenager who prefers to remain anonymous. A common misconception among youngsters is that hookahs are not as harmful as cigarettes.
However that may be, Dr Umanath Nayak of Apollo Hospitals points out that all forms of habitual tobacco consumption, whether smoking, chewing or snuffing are harmful and liable to cause cancers -- lung, oral or throat. And even shortterm exposure could lead to bronchitis.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has determined that smoking hookahs is as bad as smoking cigarettes since the amount of nicotine consumed is the same .
Another danger is that teens who smoke are three times more likely than non-smokers to go on to alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to go in for cocaine.
Psychiatrist PKN Choudary of Mindcare clearly sounds the warning: “Teenagers who take up the hookah are exposing themselves to substance abuse, making it likely that they will try other drugs.” — Based on the experiences of Srimukh Oddiraju, a Class X student