Sometimes, the most powerful statement is just two letters: “NO”. At HSNC
University’s Nasha Mukt Bharat programme, that word rang out from a packed
auditorium as students came together to take a collective pledge against
drug-abuse in the presence of Maharashtra Governor and HSNC University
Chancellor Shri Jishnu Dev Varma. The programme, organised jointly by HSNC
University, Mumbai and Lok Bhavan, Mumbai, also saw the launch of
NoToDrugs.in portal by Governor Shri
Varma.
The programme was also graced by Mr. Anil Harish, Provost, HSNC
University; Shri S. Ramamoorthy, IAS, Joint Secretary to the Governor of
Maharashtra; Ms. Seema Singh, Founder, Meghashrey Foundation; Dr. Sumedh
Chavan, Trustee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Seva Bhavi Trust; actor Ravi Dubey;
Dr. Bhagwan Balani, Registrar, HSNC University and Prof. Tejashree Shanbag,
Principal, K.C. College.
The programme went beyond a conventional awareness campaign and opened
up a more difficult conversation: How does addiction begin? Why do young people
sometimes find it difficult to say no? And what responsibility do we have when
someone around us is already struggling?
In an address blending personal anecdotes with a direct message to the young audience, Mr. Anil Harish spoke about how addiction can sometimes begin almost casually: with a friend's suggestion, curiosity, a dare, peer pressure or simply the reluctance to be the one person in a group who says no. Drawing on deeply personal examples of young people whose lives and families were devastated by addiction, he underlined how a seemingly small choice can eventually take control of a person’s future.
He then shared an unexpectedly memorable anecdote from his own life.
When someone offered tobacco at a gathering, his response was a four-letter
word: “SURE.” Fortunately, his experiment ended with him throwing up rather
than developing an addiction. But the experience carried a larger lesson:
sometimes the pressure to say “yes” can overpower the instinct to pause and
consider the consequences. “Yes” has a place in life, he told the students, but
we must also learn when to say “no”. Mr. Anil Harish then put a question
to the students: What would you say if someone offered you drugs? The
auditorium answered with one emphatic word: “NO!”
Addressing the students, Governor Shri Jishnu Dev Varma
highlighted three interconnected dimensions of the drug problem supply, demand
and rehabilitation. While enforcement agencies and authorities have an
important role in tackling the supply of drugs, he emphasised that society has
a significant role to play in stopping demand and supporting rehabilitation.
His message to the young audience was particularly direct: “Drug is not cool;
it is cruel.”
He challenged the increasingly familiar response of treating addiction as somebody else's problem. “It's his life” or “it's her life”, he said, cannot become an excuse for indifference. “No person can live in isolation.” Addiction may affect an individual, but its consequences can travel through families, friendships, neighbourhoods and communities.
The Governor therefore urged students to rethink what it means to
“interfere”. Reaching out to someone battling addiction, he said, is not
interference, it is help. If someone is caught in substance abuse, that person
may be “crying out for help” and young people have the ability to notice, reach
out and stand by them.
His appeal was therefore not simply to speak about change, but to
become part of it. “It is not about giving speeches; it is standing by
someone,” he told the students, urging them to build awareness within their
circles and help create the support systems that increasingly matter in a
rapidly changing society.
Shri Varma also pointed to the weakening of traditional support
structures and the need to recreate that sense of community through friends,
relatives, acquaintances and social networks. The underlying message was clear:
a healthier society cannot be built by individuals living in isolation from one
another.
Giving the campaign a digital dimension, Governor Shri Varma launched the NoToDrugs.in portal, providing a dedicated platform to carry the message of a drug-free India beyond the auditorium, even as he administered the Nasha Mukt Bharat pledge to the students present. The combination of a digital platform and a physical, collective commitment underscored the need to carry the message beyond a single event and into the everyday spaces where young people live, study and interact.
Emphasising the importance of youth-led choices, Col. Dr. Hemlata
K. Bagla, Vice Chancellor, HSNC University said “A drug-free India cannot
be built through awareness alone; it must be built through the choices young
people make every day. When a young person chooses to say no, that is not
merely a refusal, it is a choice for health, dignity, ambition and a future
with possibilities.” Dr. Bagla has been the driving force and has
supported the entire ‘Say No To Drugs’ campaign at HSNC University.
“A University prepares students for more than examinations and careers. It also gives them the knowledge, confidence and support to navigate the choices that come with adulthood. In that sense, the Nasha Mukt Bharat pledge is as much about education as it is about awareness,” Dr. Bagla said.
The program builds on HSNC University's sustained youth-focused
engagement towards a Nasha Mukt Bharat. Since June, students have participated
in digital Poster Making, Slogan Writing & Reel Making competitions,
followed by a ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’ (Drug-Free Youth for
Developed India) awareness programme in July which brought together students
for interactive discussions on addiction, its impact on physical and mental
health, recovery and the importance of seeking support. This was followed by
the live screening of the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s address on the Drug-Free
Mumbai Campaign in July, where students were encouraged to recognise their
individual and collective responsibility towards building a drug-free society.
In August, HSNC University hosted the Mumbai city district-level competition
which saw 116 participants across eight categories, using poetry, theatre,
music, dance and digital media to turn awareness into youth-led social action.
The event was held as part of the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan to mark
the birthday of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Press Relations- Ms. Maya M
PR Head, HSNC University, Mumbai
Email: maya.m@hsncu.edu.in
Phone: +91- 8655962503/ 04