TAPLEJUNG, Sept. 15: Taking cigarette or other forms of tobacco has become a part of life among many women in Taplejung district. Whether they be in the field works or other household chores, they are found using tobacco.

According to the district hospital, most of women in the district smoke cigarettes or take tobacco. "Even pregnant women smoke cigarettes and chew tobacco," said the hospital source to our correspondent.

Seti Maya Limbu, 45, cited that she smokes tobacco for about 10 to 12 times per day. She said that she learned smoking from her friends, who used to smoke. "Now, I feel as something lacking if I do not get the chance to smoke," she said.

Limbu, a mother of five children, said that she had no idea about the consequences of smoking.

Karna Maya Limbu, 43, also shares a similar account. She said that she started to take tobacco for getting relief from her mental stress. She assumes that smoking releases mental stress, agony, pain and anxiety.

Both types of people— literate and illiterate, smoke cigarette and tobacco in the district. The Limbu women, illustrated here, are just a few examples. There are thousands of people, both male and female, who have been addicted to smoking.

"As tobacco is grown in their own fields and they do not need to invest any money, they have developed a habit of smoking," said Tej Prasad Bhurai, former vice-president of Phurumbu Village Development Committee (VDC) of the district.

According to Ministry of Population and Environment, nearly 47.4 per cent males and 27.6 per cent females smoke cigarette and other tobacco products in the country. An estimated 15,000 people in Nepal lose their lives due to the diseases resulting from smoking.