The corona outbreak is by far the biggest crisis of its kind in our living memory. To check the spread of the pandemic, the Indian government responded promptly and announced a 21 days nationwide lockdown, from 24 March 2020.  Amongst many precautionary measures, it seems that the government did not adequately consider the health and psychiatric consequences of sudden non-availability of alcohol, toddy and tobacco (cigarettes, beedi, gutka, etc.) on those addicted to these substances.

Your inner voice is the voice of divinity. To hear it, we need to be in solitude, even in crowded places. A. R. Rahman

Technology-aided virtual life has marred our current existence; thereby isolation is inadvertently imposed by ignoring ourselves and those in the vicinity. Staring at the backlit screen of personal devices consumes our waking moments. We are compulsively searching for nothing we want and learning about someone we don’t know.

Innumerable Indians are addicted to nicotine (one of the most habit-forming substances known to man) in various forms.  Some smoke, others sniff or chew it. Many live under the myth that chewing gutka or smokeless tobacco is less harmful than smoking. Most not aware that gutka is literally ‘a pinch of poison’ and an ingredient for severe ailments and slow death.

Using World Wide Web, social media and electronic communication devices are amongst the most common activity of today's world.  Digital devices are designed for rapid access to information and enhance connection amongst people. Unsurprisingly, their use has dramatically risen, but aren’t we too reliant on them? Latest research and data is already raising alarm bell of new age addiction.