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By:

Dr. Kailash Atkare

24 June 2025 at 1:30:23 pm

From Dreams to Drugs: Silent Epidemic

Student drug addiction is real and rampant and needs more than blame—it calls for treatment, counselling, and compassion that restore...

From Dreams to Drugs: Silent Epidemic

Student drug addiction is real and rampant and needs more than blame—it calls for treatment, counselling, and compassion that restore belief in recovery. I recently attended a meeting convened by the Commissioner of Police, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he appealed to representatives of various institutes on the urgent issue of rising drug addiction among students. A student is typically associated with curiosity, energy, dreams, and ambition — a life dedicated to learning and building a bright future. Yet this foundation is being silently eroded by the grip of addiction. Drug addiction among students has become one of the most pressing social and educational challenges of our time. At a stage in life when young people should be concentrating on studies, personal growth, and shaping their future, many fall prey to the lure of drugs. Curiosity, peer pressure, academic stress, family issues, and the easy availability of narcotics often drive this problem. Once ensnared, students suffer not only physical and psychological harm but also setbacks in their academic performance, relationships, and overall well-being. This growing menace affects not just the individual but also weakens families, institutions, and society as a whole. It is therefore vital to understand the causes, consequences, and remedies of student drug addiction to safeguard their health, education, and future. Drug addiction is not merely a personal problem; it is a social disease, a national challenge, and a human tragedy. Addicts are not born but shaped by curiosity, bad company, peer pressure, ignorance, and despair. Tragically, students — who ought to be the torchbearers of progress — often fall into this dangerous trap. Studies show that drug use often begins with experimentation — a puff at a party, a pill from a friend, or the thrill of trying something new. Young people cite exam stress, fierce competition, family expectations, and loneliness as common reasons. In today’s world of constant pressure, they search for escape, and drugs offer only a fleeting illusion of relief. What starts as an escape soon becomes a prison without walls. The reality is harsh: once caught in addiction, breaking free is rarely easy. Drugs ruin health, drain finances, destroy families, and shatter dreams. A student who might have become a doctor, engineer, teacher, or leader instead wastes his potential — sometimes even his life. Behind every addict stands a heartbroken parent, a broken family, and a society robbed of another bright star. The dangers extend far beyond the individual. Drug addiction fuels crime, violence, and disorder. It weakens the moral fabric of society and drags nations backwards. When a country’s youth are at risk, so too is its future. Yet every dark tunnel still holds a light at the end. Remedies for students struggling with drug addiction lie not only in treatment but also in care, support, and an environment that encourages healthier choices. Professional counselling can help address the emotional pain, stress, anxiety, and competitive pressures that often lead to drug use. Families must provide a safe, non-judgemental space for open conversation and emotional support. Students, teachers, and citizens alike must become torchbearers of awareness. Many young people who experiment with drugs have little idea of the dangers they invite into their lives. Schools, colleges, and families must speak openly; silence only deepens the problem. In the end, a strong mind and will are the best shields, and students must learn to say no. Saying “no” means resisting peer pressure, unhealthy temptations, and shortcuts that promise pleasure but deliver pain. Society must offer positive alternatives—sports, art, music, and culture provide students with joy, excitement, and companionship. A person with a drug problem is not merely a criminal but also a patient, a victim, a fellow human being in need of help. Mockery, isolation, or punishment alone won’t resolve the issue. What’s required is treatment, rehabilitation, counselling, and support that instils the belief in recovery. Parents and teachers play a vital role in the education of children. Parents should stay watchful and compassionate; teachers must guide not just academic learning but also impart values, ethics, gratitude, and moral clarity. Society must also enforce strict action against drug peddlers, improve rehabilitation services, run awareness campaigns, and establish student-friendly helplines. Yet even the firmest laws fail if students don’t take responsibility for their choices. In the struggle against drugs, the pen is mightier than the syringe, knowledge stronger than intoxication, and hope more powerful than despair. We all can raise our voices, spread awareness, and support one another. Drug addiction is not merely the fight of a student, parent, or government—it’s the fight of all of us. We must build a world where no student feels compelled to escape through drugs; where everyone feels valued, supported, and inspired; where education leads to enlightenment, not entrapment. Our lives are precious, our dreams priceless, and our future worth safeguarding. Say no to drugs. (The writer is an assistant professor of English literature. Views personal)

Political slugfest over Adani: BJP vs Others

  • PTI
  • Nov 22, 2024
  • 5 min read

Rahul demands Adani’s immediate arrest


BJP says Adani invested in Congress-ruled states

BJP vs Others

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded the immediate arrest of Gautam Adani after the billionaire industrialist was charged in the US for alleged bribery and fraud.


Addressing a press conference here hours after the US prosecutors charged Adani and associates for allegedly paying USD 250 million bribe to Indian officials, the Congress leader said it is now pretty clear and established in the US that the businessman has broken Indian as well as American laws.


The Adani group denied the charges, saying the allegations by US prosecutors are baseless and the conglomerate is compliant with all laws. It also said that all possible legal recourse will be sought.


Gandhi said Adani should be arrested immediately and interrogated while his “protector” and SEBI chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch should be removed from her post and a probe should be initiated.


He further said he will raise the issue during the Winter session of Parliament beginning Monday. The entire opposition is together on the matter and will jointly raise the issue, he said.


He said the opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the transactions of the Adani Group stands.


“I can guarantee that Adani won’t be arrested or investigated in India because the Modi government is protecting him,” Gandhi alleged.


When pointed out that nothing was happening in India against Adani despite Gandhi raising the issue several times, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said a lot has happened ever since he started raising the Adani issue.

“The PM’s credibility has been destroyed. The entire country knows they Adani and PM are one. We will expose everyone and the entire network. Madhabi Buch was the first example,” he said.


“India is in the grip of Adani. Adani is controlling India. We will not spare them,” Gandhi said. “I’m confident we will work slowly and in the end, we will dismantle this structure.”


“This is a political-financial-bureaucracy network as it captures India’s political system (on one hand) with money and on the other hand, they work for profit. It is a virtuous cycle which is negative for the country,” he said.

Gandhi said criminality and corruption are two different issues. But if Adani is working under due process, we don’t have a problem,” the senior Congress leader said.


“It is up to the government to investigate. Catch Adani and put him behind bars.”


Gandhi claimed the retail and small investors would suffer losses because of this and stressed that it was his job as the leader of opposition to warn them.

He said investigations should cover all states, irrespective of which party was in power.


“It is now pretty clear and established in the US that Mr Adani has broken both American and Indian laws. I’m wondering why Adani is running around a free man,” he said.


The former Congress chief said while chief ministers have been arrested for smaller allegations, Adani has been involved in a Rs 2,000 crore scam and he is still going scot-free.


Gandhi said the charges made by US prosecutors against Adani and his associates “is a vindication of what we have been saying”.


Accusing Prime Minister Modi of protecting Adani, the former Congress chief said, “The PM is clearly protecting him. It is my job to raise this issue. We want Adani to be arrested immediately.”


“We want to show the country that Adani ji will not be arrested because the PM is protecting him,” he said, adding, “Even after a scam of Rs 2,000 crore, I guarantee he will neither be arrested nor will there be any probe against him.”


Asked about some states ruled by non-BJP parties being named by the US prosecutors, he said, “Wherever this has happened, be it any government, there should be an investigation. But the one involved in the corruption should be jailed.”


Rahul, Congress trying to target Modi’s image: BJP

The BJP on Thursday dubbed Rahul Gandhi’s attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of his long-running efforts to target its leader, and noted that none of the four states named in American courts had a BJP government.


Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra made it clear that as far as allegations against the Adani group are concerned it is for the company to issue a clarification and defend itself.


“Law will take its own course,” he said, while keeping the focus on Gandhi’s allegations against the prime minister and the BJP government at the Centre.

Since 2002, Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and the Congress have been trying to tarnish Modi’s image, but they have not succeeded and the prime minister received the highest civilian award in a foreign country on a day the opposition party was attacking him, the BJP leader said.


Rahul Gandhi claimed in his press conference that the opposition has been successful in destroying Modi’s credibility over his alleged proximity to the business tycoon.


Citing the Adani group’s investment in various states ruled by the Congress and its allies, Patra noted that it invested Rs 25k crore and Rs 65k crore in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan when Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot were at the helm there respectively.


The conglomerate invested Rs 45k crore in the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu and had recently given Rs 100 crore donation to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for a skill development foundation, he added.


If Adani is “corrupt”, then why are the Congress governments seeking investment from his company, he asked.


The billionaire industrialist has been charged by US prosecutors for allegedly being part of a scheme to pay over USD 250 million (about Rs 2,100 crore) bribe to Indian officials in exchange of favourable terms for solar power contracts.


This was concealed from the US banks and investors from whom the Adani group raised billions of dollars for the project, the prosecutors have alleged. US law allows pursuing foreign corruption allegations if they involve certain links to American investors or markets.


Kejriwal stopped Adani Group: AAP

The Adani group tried to enter Delhi’s power sector but was stopped by then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh claimed. He claimed that Adani Green Energy secured power supply contracts in several states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, through unethical means.


“Adani even attempted to enter Delhi’s electricity market but failed because then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal stopped them,” he said while warning people that if the BJP gains power in Delhi, electricity costs could surge.

“We will not keep quiet and will raise this matter with full force in the upcoming session of Parliament,” Singh added.


TN has nothing to do with Adani’s firm: minister

Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji on Thursday asserted that Tamil Nadu government run electricity corporation has no commercial relationship with Gautam Adani’s company and that the state has an understanding to buy power only from a Central government firm.


“I would like to first clarify that as regards TANGEDCO (TN Generation and Districution Corporation), there has been no kind of commercial relationship with Adani’s company during the past three years (after the DMK assumed power in May 2021),” he said.


Taking into account the electricity requirements of the state, Tamil Nadu inked a pact for procurement of 1,500 MW, with the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited, a Central government company, at a very competitive price of Rs 2.61 (per unit), he said adding “there is no direct contact with Adani firm.”

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