Udta Punjab for real

I belong to Punjab and I am proud to be a Punjabi. Not me, but every Punjabi living in Punjab or even outside Punjab are proud that they were born in this part of the world. The best thing about Punjab is its culture, people and of course the food. Land of prosperity, brotherhood, honest people and of course people with great hospitality. Many of my friends do no call me a “real Punjabi” as I do not eat chicken nor do I drink. People even say that I should be ashamed of being Punjabi, as I am exactly the opposite of what Punjabis are suppose to do.

But somewhere this eating & drinking culture has gone too far for Punjabis, especially in the village areas. When I was a kid I used to listen to stories how great our Punjab is and how we contribute to rest of the India. A farmer of Punjab is treated as God because of his hard-work to produce good amount of wheat for us all.

Today, I attended funeral of a boy who was in his early 20s and lost his life after struggling for more than a year in various hospitals. His family members were numb and no one was discussing about the person who left for heavenly abode. Usually when you attend such funerals people talk about the person and discuss how great he was or express their shock.

Funerals like these have become common in Punjab, ever since the fatal disease called “Drugs” have entered into the veins of Punjabi youth. Udta Punjab, movie that showed how Punjab is being deteriorated due to use of drugs by youth here. Honestly, I did not have the courage to watch that movie,  because even in my dreams I do NOT want to see my beloved Punjab to be in this helpless condition.

Punjab is definitely draining it’s youth into waste because of drugs and no matter what authorities say – this shit is serious! I can pick 1 out of 20 people who take drugs or are exposed to a group that gets high every now & then. This is really serious matter and we should definitely do something about it. People from outside Punjab do not believe that Punjab can be this worse, but unfortunately, we are in a bad situation.

What can we do ?

• Education is what can solve this all. Situations in villages is like – one boy is wasted in drugs, but on the other hand an educated fellow(from same vicinity) goes to city for Job or higher studies.
• Talk to them – We should talk to the youth and tell them what good can be done with their lives and it is important to be healthy to sustain their lives.
• General Awareness – Not every person is interested in education and you cannot force some Or maybe some people have crossed that age (at least they think that way). So there is a need of general awareness that gives few basic points on how drugs can impact their lives and destroy their families.
• Help themselves – Some villages have their own committees that spread awareness in the youth and even help to overcome the addiction.
• Rehabilitation centres – I have not heard a single great thing about them at least in India. People join rehab to get healthy and leave the addiction, but unfortunately  the Rehab centres in India do not operate ethically. There are reports that the supervisors or the persons who operate these centres mistreat patients. And when they complaint about the misbehaviour outside world thinks it is a lie. So we need to control these rehab centres so that they do what they are suppose to.

Well this is a very small list of what we should be doing to help Punjab get back its youth and we all should try out bits. You might think that I am targeting only “villages” in Punjab and some of you might get offended. But let me tell you, not all villages in Punjab are going through the same state of deterioration.

So please understand that all I want to say is let us join together and spread awareness so that we can save the upcoming generations of Punjab. I did my bit and will do a lot more in near future.

Sachin!