They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Where words fail, the picture says the unsaid. But when the emphasis is to convey a message, sometimes even a picture is not enough, or is it?

With health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad planning to revise pictorial warnings on tobacco product packs from December 1, it shows that the old warnings were proving to be ineffective. A study by Hriday, a Delhi-based NGO, states that more than 63 per cent of the respondents feel the warning labels are inadequate in conveying the adverse impact of tobacco use on health.
In reference to the pictorial warnings which didn’t create a stir, we spoke to few creative minds who use visuals as a medium in their work. Photographer Rohit Chawla believes that cigarette packs are blind spots where no warnings are paid attention to. “People are aware that smoking kills, they don’t want to be reminded and most don’t care. The tobacco lobby is huge in our country, there may not be any strict action taken in this regard. The government can keep reinforcing new pictorial warnings, but I doubt if it will make any difference. People here don’t get moved by anything, this country has uglier things than cigarette packs,” he says.
Showing a diseased lung or rotten dentures on the pack doesn’t connect with a smoker, avers graphic novelist Sarnath Banerjee. He says, “It’s an alien feeling, showing a body part which nobody wants to see, especially theirs. Everybody thinks the worst can happen to others and not to them. Anything that stops people from smoking has to have a huge psychological impact on them.”
Sarnath shares he recently quit smoking because he was warned. “I was told by somebody to quit smoking or it will be disastrous. I listened. It’s been three months and I no longer smoke. I was scared to death and that led me to quit smoking. Instead of gory pictures, the government should emphasise on the positive outcome of non-smoking. The message reinforced should be positive and hopeful. Suggestions like smoking kills your tastebuds, save money, increase stamina, live longer, nobody likes to kiss a smoker are some of the options that can be explored instead of ugly pictures on the pack,” he adds.
Pictorial messages do have the power to connect with the masses. Who can forget the Save the Tiger campaign by Aircel, the statement that only 1,411 tigers are left struck a chord in every Indian. Agrees Anand Bhushan, creative team leader, McCann Worldgroup India (MWG TAG), who says, “Look at the international brands of cigarettes, and you’ll know what I mean. The picture has such a strong effect, that a smoker like me was stunned when I saw it for the first time. Visuals are extremely important, earlier many would keep cigarette packs as mementos, the pictures need to be very strong. In India, pictures are dark, dull, who would give it a second glance?”
If widely and rightly publicised, every campaign can have positive results. Prince Singhal, founder president of Campaign Against Drunken Driving, feels the government needs to widen its focus. “Just images on packs may not work, as many youngsters prefer buying loose cigarettes. Hoardings and billboards should be put near places like schools, colleges, residential areas, markets and the railway station. You need to reach people whichever way you can. It depends on the intention and seriousness of the message as well.”