Koolimadu

Koolimadu is a village in Chathamangalam Gram panchayat in the Kozhikode district, state of Kerala, India.Anti Tobacco InitiativeIt is the first tobacco-free village in India. With the district administration declaring it tobacco-free, smoking has been banned in this tiny hamlet and people run the risk of being excommunicated for a day if they do not respect the ban. The village is located on the bank of Chaliyar around 3 kilometers away from Mavoor and 25 kilometers away from Kozhikode.Koolimadu was declared tobacco free on January 11, 1995, after a year-long campaign that managed to rope in all sections of society.The spark to ban tobacco was lit in a small local club, Akshara, in early 1994. During a routine meeting, a member lit up a cigar. The others present immediately protested, and with tempers running high, club office-bears slapped a ban on smoking on Akshara premises. Soon, another member suggested, “Why can’t we make the entire village tobacco free?”That suggestion found many takers in the club, marking the beginning of a novel mission at the village, under the Chathamangalam gram panchayat.Akshara took the initiative to tell the villagers about the evil s of pan masala and smoking. “We held a door-to-door campaign, distributed pamphlets and roped in doctors to conduct classes,” says club spokesperson Abdul Majeed.With several middle-aged chain smokers at Koolimadu dying of lung diseases and oral cancer in the early 90s, their call for a ban found many takers. The club members claim they weaned away many who were at a risk of contracting smoking-related diseases.