Udta Punjab was a movie that highlighted the drug menace Punjab was battling. Udta Kerala is now in the news thanks to the recent arrests of film celebrities and also a new-age rapper.
Shine Tom Chacko, Sreenath Bhasi of Manjummel Boys fame, ace director Khalid Rahman and new-age rapper Vedan have all brought Kerala's drug woes to the spotlight once again.
This constant stream of headlines reminded me how worrisome the situation is, particularly in schools in India's most literate state. The stats available emphasise the gravity of the challenge facing us.
Operation D-Hunt has seen 12,760 cases being filed till March 31, 2025. There were 13,639 raids in this period and the value of drugs seized was Rs 12 crore.
And if that doesn't ring alarm bells, here is another stat that might shock most readers even further. The value of narcotics seized by the excise department in March this year alone was Rs 7.09 crore.
Worryingly, kids are being caught in the net at a rather young age. Why is it so and what can we do to reverse this?
Five factors
After delivering lectures against the menace of drugs at nearly 4000 schools in the last six years, I have come to the conclusion that there are five definite factors behind children falling prey to drugs.
It all begins with the lack of knowledge. Most children are not aware of the harm drugs or tobacco products are capable of inflicting. They also are unaware that it's a crime to consume drugs. Many do not even know the difference between tobacco products like Pan Parag, pan masala, jarda, gutka, khaini, hans etc and drugs like ganja (marijuana), cocaine, hashish, opium, let alone synthetic drugs like MDMA etc and hybrid drugs. Schools, sadly, make no effort to address this. If drug awareness programmes are in place -- at least from eighth standard till higher secondary -- they can succeed in impressing upon young minds how damaging drug abuse can be.
The pressure brought to bear on children to secure A+ grades or marks is another trigger. This I think is a big factor behind suicides and also drug use. Parents should instead let children be and be more accepting of them. There are nearly 12,000 children who commit suicide in India every year. It translates to more than one suicide every hour. We need to do what we can to bring down these worrying numbers.
Children have confided in me on many occasions that talk at home between them and their parents is usually confined to the subject of how they can get better grades or whether more tuitions need to be arranged. In fact, there is a survey that has found that Kerala has the highest number of tuition goers among all states at 77%.
Parents should forsake this approach and instead re-discover the lost art of talking to their children and finding out what is going on with them. These bonding sessions will encourage the child, help ground them and can turn out to be vital in ensuring their well-being.
Such sessions can also help parents spot any warning signs. If their children suddenly begin to get irritated quickly, indulge in violence, sit alone, avoid siblings, have difficulty sleeping on time… these can all be indications of drug abuse. Parents should not hesitate to take such children to counsellors. Doing nothing fearing shame can prove disastrous.
There is another major change that we need to usher in. I have always believed that children who are peddling drugs or consuming it do it without any fear. They believe that even if they are caught in the act nothing will happen to them as the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) or child protection committees or child welfare-oriented commissions will step in to prevent school principals/headmasters from taking stern action.
Mentioning this reminds me of a visit to a school. While I was having tea with the headmaster there, he broke down. I asked him the reason. He said he had checked the bags of girl students in his school the previous day and found pen drives with porn videos and porn magazines. He went on to question them but when the PTA came to know of this, they put him on notice and asked him why he should not be sacked?
It might not have been drugs that this principal had discovered, but this was what came to pass when an attempt to impose discipline was made. With the hands of authorities being tied in this manner, rampant proliferation of drugs inside schools should not come as a surprise. Only a few schools are exceptions to the rule. May their tribe increase.
A fourth factor to be kept in mind is boredom. Bored children are always easier targets. All it needs is for a close friend or cousin to encourage them to at least 'try' tobacco products or drugs once. Soon, the free fall begins.
No child then should be allowed to sit idle. The best thing parents can do is to make children pursue their hobbies like singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, or preparing for quiz competitions, playing sports etc. Sport, in particular, serves as the biggest antidote to the use of drugs.
Finally, there is the toxic environment some kids are exposed to at homes. At some homes, children see either their father indulging in drinking or smoking or even manhandling their mothers. Children do what their parents do: they don't do what their parents say. Parents need to remember that young minds need peace and harmony at home.
What needs to be done
That said, India and Kerala are still dealing with a manageable problem. I believe we can turn things around with a five-way action plan involving ever-alert parents, strict disciplinarian teachers, very active police/excise forces who are quick to act against drug peddlers, a benevolent government ready to open more de-addiction centres in every state and committed NGOs who are ready to visit schools and do their bit to win the war against the ever-increasing use of drugs.
9995966666 and 9447178000 are the numbers where any information about five crimes related to drugs can be passed on in Kerala. These crimes are:
1. Production of drugs.
2. Use of drugs in any form.
3. Sale of drugs in and around schools.
4. Distribution of drugs anywhere
5. Soliciting the use of drugs by anyone
Action can be taken under three laws: The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.
Kerala cannot afford to stay as Udta Kerala. Here's hoping that we go on to win this war and avoid having a lost generation.
