Among the many faces flashed in my mind, there is this particular one who I can never forget. Ananya (fake name to protect identity) was a part of us six friends from childhood, two girls and four guys. We were neighbors and almost of same age,Ananya being the eldest by a year. Most of my cherished memories from those days are connected with these friends. May be we bonded that early we all still remain in touch as good old friends.
Fast forward few years, after 10th Ananya moved on to Coimbatore for further studies, in a year we all moved away to different places and until mobile phones came up with cheap call rates, we remained detached to each other.
Since we were neighbors we all knew where is everyone. With time and new atmosphere all changed and we felt we became smarter and better. Almost all had started smoking and drinking during their degree days. So did Ananya, thanks to her metro town education. It was hard to accept Ananya smoking initially, but got used to it as we came to know more and more in the smoking league.
Good times flew and came the good news that Ananya is fixed with some IT guy and that time I was doing my second sem,engineering. Ananya's marriage was a beautiful event, The new couple glittered and we old friends had a wonderful time. Things went on again. Ananya moved on to Bangalore,got a job and started a family there. We went on with our careers in mind but all kept in touch with each other.
Time passed,it was somewhere during July or August and I was about to move to my seventh sem. We all were in Calicut for our semester breaks, Ananya was also there... we came to know about the tragic news. Ananya had been sent home by her husband's family. Their marriage was on the rocks, She told us that she could never give birth to a child. She had become permanently infertile. Her in laws were upset with this news. Detailed check ups on Anaya revealed her smoking played with some hormones in her leading to such a condition. She was totally devastated and we were so extremely upset. I had read somewhere," the biggest dream of a woman will be to give birth to her child". I felt so bad for thinking she was deprived of that dream and her failed marriage. Most disappointing days of us friends passed like that.
Ananya's fate could be a rare case, but it made me discourage all women and underage smokers from smoking. Whenever I see a friend especially a girl, smoking, I persuade her to give up smoking for a better life and stronger hopes, because I feel what happened to Ananya should not happen to anyone else. I do not know anyone other than Darrel Winfield-The original Marlboro man who died due to smoking, but I can never support smoking, I hope you also never support smoking....
Maybe gods wish or some good luck. Ananya did not go through a divorce, During the counselling before divorce, her husband and his family had a change of mind, they accepted her back. After a year they adopted a child. Now they both and their baby girl live happily in this beautiful world.....
My dear friends........ Quit smoking for a better life!!!
