Burning money and buying poison

The other day, I met an eight-year old boy named Sweet. He was selling cigarettes before the gate of Novo Theatre at Bijoy Sharani. He knew how to read and write, making it easier for him to conduct his business. I came to know from Sweet that he sold cigarettes worth Tk 5000 per day. "It's more in the holidays," he also added.

People of Bangladesh waste huge amount of money every day by puffing cigarettes. Smoking kills, affecting not just our health, but also the economy. It is high time for us to cut back this bad habit of smoking and use this large amount of money in productive sectors. 

Bipul K Debnath
Dept. of English Literature
Dhaka College, Dhaka