Sunday, December 14, 2014
Mira Road
The desperate prayers of Mira Roads helpless parents sobbing in their pillows have not gone unheard. Close to 200 drug addicts and their relatives were witness to this as they attended an Awareness-cum-Counseling Medical Camp meant to counter the alarmingly escalating cases of drug addiction; jointly organized by Jamate Islami Hind (JIH), Mira Road, Medical Service Society (MSS), Mira Road and the Mira Road Medical Association of Family Physicians (MMAFP) in collaboration with Educare Foundation and a team of doctors from Masina Hospital.
The program began with the recitation of Surah Maidah: ayaat 90-93, wherein Allah has conclusively prohibited intoxicants and has, in His infinite mercy, assured forgiveness and absolution to those who repent and give up their past habits.
Thereafter, Dr. Aijaz, sec. MMAFP, spoke on the importance and purpose of this camp and the ill effects of drug abuse. He was followed by Mr. Javed Shaikh, who is a member of the National Integration Forum and secretary of the Department of Community Affairs, JIH Mumbai. Mr. Javed highlighted the political and mafia nexus involved in drug peddling which gives a strong immunity to the perpetuators of this crime.
Uzma Syed from Educare and her colleague, Mr. Navin interacted with the audience and shattered many myths related to Meth (Methamphetamine). They also presented a wonderful skit which taught the audience how innocent young people are lured into taking Meth, MD or Meow (or any other name by which it is sold) under the false pretext of improving their lives and waving a magic wand over all their problems, only to be later trapped in the pernicious cascade of bankruptcy, theft and ultimately- death. The audience was trying hard to hold back their tears as they could relate to the actors in the play and saw their own lives being enacted on stage.
Inspector Khedekar from Mira Road police station, who was the Chief Guest, promised full assistance from the Police Department in waging a war against this sinister conspiracy which threatens to destroy an entire generation of potentially promising youth. He also pleaded with the parents to help the police in this regard. Dr. Ghabrani from Masina Hospital advised the parents to build a healthy rapport with their children to keep them away and to pull them out of drugs.
The counseling session began thereafter which saw addicts as well as their relatives personally interacting with the expert team of doctors. The sight of mothers waiting in the queue to pour their hearts out and to seek solutions to salvage their families would surely have melted the hardest of hearts. Those anxious eyes and trembling hands would haunt me for months together. Even the doctors who are used to seeing pain and disease day in and day out could not help but weep as they came across cases where as many as four people of a single family had become victims of drug abuse.
It was all too obvious that there were many others out there who needed urgent help to save them from impending disaster. It is hoped that this camp would help in easing their inhibitions and they would venture out to seek medical and psychological counseling and treatment. Mr. Naveed Anjum, sec. JIH Mira Road for Community Affairs, when asked if we could expect any more such activities down the line, replied that, “JIH has been striving since the past one year to realize the dream of a Drug-free Mira Road and this camp was but a part of a larger de-addiction campaign which would, inshaAllah, continue till we achieve our goal.”
Hearken our Lord, hearken!
