When the world observed No Tobacco Day on Friday by organising a wide variety of programmes, a young artist from the district chose a different path to create awareness against the dangers of tobacco by setting up an installation at the Karuvarakundu bus stand.

E.M. Abdul Azeez spent the whole day sending a strong message against tobacco through the installation he erected by using mixed media. The anti-tobacco installation he made with cartons, polystyrene or thermocol, paper, PVC pipe and paint attracted a lot of people.

“I wanted to convey the message against tobacco, which is becoming a giant killer across the globe. So I chose the method I could,” said Mr. Azeez.

1,000 cigarette butts

A graduate in drawing and graphics, Mr. Azeez succeeded in generating the message of death through the doodles he drew on the base of his installation. He built large cigarette packets on top of the base with the intention of attracting the passers-by.

Cigarettes and skulls were installed on top of the packets. A gun fixed on the left corner has its long barrel twisted at the end and a bomb set up on the other side.

“All of these are signs of untimely but certain death that may be caused by tobacco. It’s a killer and we should stay away from it. That is my message,” said Mr. Azeez.

Last year too, Mr. Azeez had used his artistic talent to create awareness against tobacco.

Installation

He had built a similar installation at Karuvarakundu, his home town, by using more than 1,000 cigarette butts he painstakingly collected from the region.

Currently, he is a fellow artist under the State Cultural Department. Last year, Mr. Azeez had drawn the State’s cultural motifs like Kathakali, Theyyam, and Oppana on the walls of Government Higher Secondary School, Karuvarankundu. “As an alumnus of that school, it was my humble tribute to my alma mater,” he said. This year, Mr. Azeez drew butterflies, flowers, bees, and alphabet on another wall of the school.