India, May 26 -- There are very few people who are unaware of the ill effects of smoking tobacco in its many forms, yet its popularity remains unblemished. The warning text on movie screens fails to overshadow the swagger of the larger-than-life characters smoking away at their pleasure, and products themselves remain easily available at every corner shop in the country.

Speaking with HT Lifestyle ahead of World No Tobacco Day, observed on May 31, Dr Harish Kumar Verma, general physician and director of pulmonary medicine and critical care at ShardaCare Healthcity, stated that the diseases and deaths that result from tobacco are largely preventable. The issue is that it is not considered a public health emergency, but rather a personal f...