Actor supports a campaign against drug abuse, which will kick off at educational campuses across the country
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; February 10, 2019)

Actor Sanjay Dutt has been extremely open about the fact that he fell prey to drug abuse in his youth and has often spoken about it on various forums. He had even told BT in an interview that he would like to do something to uproot drug addiction from India. The actor plans to be a part of a nation-wide tirade against drug abuse for which, events are being organised at educational campuses in Chandigarh and Hisar on February 18 and 19 respectively.

At the event, Sanjay will share his experiences with drug addiction, how it negatively impacted his years as a young man, and how weaning off it helped him gain a new perspective on life. Sonakshi Sinha, Parineeti Chopra, Badshah, Sonu Nigam, Kapil Sharma and Varun Sharma will also engage with 25000 students on the campuses on each of the days, to dissuade young people from drug addiction.

Students present at the campuses, as well as another one crore students across hundreds of other educational institutions in the country will be able to watch this event through a live broadcast, and take a pledge to fight drug abuse. The plan is to follow this up by a road show featuring the celebrities.

The foundation of the activity was laid in 2016 after Sanjay was released from Yerwada Jail. His friends, producer Ajay Arora (Bittoo), lyricist Montoo Bassi and filmmaker Mahavir Jain had a conversation about the growing problem amongst the Indian youth. A year ago, they decided to approach Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bengaluru to seek a way forward.

Not only did the guru explain the brevity of this problem in our country today, but also decided to help them make the fight sustainable throughout the year and ensured that it reaches the grassroots. Gradually, the spiritual leader’s close associates set up special clubs across college campuses in the country for awareness training amongst the youth. These clubs will comprise students, teachers, doctors and social workers who will spread the word against drug abuse and help addicts seek rehabilitation. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and his close associates are planning to guide the students at the event as well.

When we reached out to Sanjay, he confirmed the development and said, “I have experienced the menace of drugs first hand. I know the havoc it creates and so this cause is close to my heart. The aim is to make this campaign India’s largest. It’s very easy to get sucked into drug abuse, but very difficult to get out of it. It all starts when minds are young and impressionable. We have to firmly tell youngsters that drug abuse is not cool. That’s why we want to reach out to the youth of this country and spread the word through campuses.” The actor seems to have taken on this as a mission and he signs off saying, “Na karunga na karne doonga.”