Kamlesh became quite an internet sensation after a snippet from the documentary Nashebaaz: The Dying People Of Delhi by documentary filmmaker, Dheeraj Sharma, did the rounds. In the video, Kamlesh, talks about his life after he ran away from home and has now found himself addicted to ‘solution’, that is, inhalants like whitener. After the video, many of us decided Kamlesh’s interview was funny enough to be converted into the only means of humour our generation understands today – memes. A large amount of crude memes made it to my Twitter timeline too, leaving me cringing.
But there wasn’t much I could do other than ignore and keep scrolling or leave a piece of my mind as a comment, adding to my already long list of online debates. The director Dheeraj Sharma, spoke in an interview by YouTuber Divyanshu Damani about how he is disappointed that his documentary and Kamlesh’s story, meant to spread awareness about drug addiction has become a laughing stock.
Now, Inshorts has come up with a campaign for the same with facts that have genuinely shaken my core. There are 70,000 addicts on the streets of Delhi, according to a study and 34.7% of minor addicts are sniffing inhalants like whiteners and glues because they are cheaper, reveals a study conducted by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and AIIMS. They start at an age as early as nine.
These are children we’ve all seen on the streets. We’ve pitied them and ignored them, the idea now is to bring them to light. This is not an issue to be taken lightly, they’re the future of our nation and our world. If you have seen a child like Kamlesh then be a part of this campaign and put up a status #IKnowAKamlesh on your social media accounts. Let’s put this magnanimous tool we have to good use.
Featured Image: Inshorts
