Introduction
The deliberations on “smoking” (from the perspectives of the right of individuals) and “anti-smoking”) from the perspectives of infringement of rights of non-smoking individuals) are neither new nor complicated.The number of research and studies that have been conducted by numerous countries grappling with the problem of a “nicotine-addicted” population (which is evident from their increasing national health bills) show beyond a shadow of doubt, the short-term and long-term ill-effects of smoking. In recentyear, this has lead to universal response by nations worldwide “making smoking illegal in all public institutions, public places that include offices and restaurants, in all modes of transport, and at places where other people will be affected. The basic premise is that smokers should not make others inhale their smoke. This includes babies in their mothers’ wombs.

Bhutan and tobacco

In Bhutan, the response to smoking has been
sweeping. The resolution of the 82nd session of the National Assembly in July, and the decisive banning of “ the sale of all tobacco products” in August 2004 have put Bhutan in a special place – as the first global nation to ban tobacco sale completely.

Then, in February 2005, the Royal government of Bhutan announced a “ban on smoking in all public places. A “public place” in the Bhutanese context is defined as “all places where people gather.”“These includes parks, discotheques, entertainment centers, sports facilities like football grounds and archery ranges, commercial centers including shops, bars and restaurants, institutions like dzongs, hospitals, school, and government offices, public transport carries, public gatherings such as tshechus, official receptions, national celebrations, and vegetable markets.” There will “not be smoking corners as suggested by smokers, and observers see the Council of Ministers’ decision as a move to make Bhutan a smoke-free nation.

The decision to ban tobacco in Bhutan is based as much on religious grounds as it is on health. Certain teachings credited to the great Indian saint Guru Rimpoche, says that “tobacco grew from the blood of a demoness, personified as a menstruating woman, who had wished for an intoxicant that would obstruct spiritual practice”.

The Ministry of Health, RGOB, highlight their own experiences of tobacco-related ailments since mass import of tobacco and related products began streaming into Bhutan after 1960.

Yet, the debate continues…. the ban of tabacco has, for the first time, aroused some sort of public debate in Bhutan. The issues range from: the draconian execution of banning; to the question of why other equally, if not more harmful substances like alcohol and doma, aren’t banned; to the pragmatism of banning an “unstoppable” trend; and, on the actual ability in enforcing such a ban in light of the unsuccessful ban on plastics a few years ago.

As much as we cannot ignore huge negative potential that tabacco possesses if left unchecked, the recent hullabaloo over smoking should come as no big surprise. Why? Because:

1. The sale of tabacco was actually banned in 18 Dzongkhags in Bhutan in 1994 and not recently in 2004, as commonly misinterpreted.
2. And, this ban affects only 3% of the people in the urban areas and 1% of the people in the villages who smoke or chew tabacco (from the total population) The number was only 1% of the total population in the early 1990s.

The royal Government of Bhutan’s recent ban on “the sale of tobacco’ and ‘smoking in all public places’ should serve as a potent deterrent to smoking in Bhutan. But, as we mentioned above, smokers and tobacco-users have actually increased exponentially (more than 300%) over the years (note: the recent percentages are derived from a much bigger population). This is evidence that government policies and regulations alone are not sufficient in discouraging present tobacco-users and potential tobacco-users. As long as an internal culture and an external influence linger, tobacco and smoking in particular will remain a hazardous challenge. This is why, in addition to the national rules and regulations against smoking, there is a continuous need to reiterate the harmful effects of smoking in the public eye, in creative and imaginative ways.

In Bhutan, the effort to discourage smoking can be undertaken by various stakeholders: government ministries (Ministry of Health, the Department of Youth, Culture & Sports and the Ministry of Education); non-government organizations (Youth Development Fund); international agencies (United Nation’s Development Fund); and, most importantly, the public itself.

Campaign strategy

The fundamental objective of this project is to ‘discourage smoking in Public places’ in Bhutan. In order to do so, we need to create a message through a medium, that have the following characteristics:

1. Highly identifiable & (stimulating/provocative)
2. Visible
3. Communicative of awareness(don’t smoke)
4. “Sell” the idea that ‘smoking is not good’
5. Ultimately, behavior influencing
6. Sensitive to indigenous values and culture
7. and, Universal (ubiquitous)

With these characteristics a ‘good’ marketing campaign in mind, the PGCDM Social Marketing Project Group Focuses on crafting a broad, yet appealing marketing campaign by using one of Bhutan’s most potent and powerful images of religious humor and social satire-the Atsara. Why we use this particular icon to communicate a message of ‘discouraging smoking in public places’ is summarized below.

The use of one of Bhutan’s most potent and powerful images in this proposal for the social marketing campaign to ‘discourage smoking in public places’ in indigenous, yet acceptable and unforgettable. Why is this so? In order to understand the preference to use an already established, but insufficiently used icon to advocate, or in this case, de-advocate and upset the steady increase in the use of tobacco products, we first need to understand the history and role of the Atsara in Bhutanese society.

We also need to understand the application of some amateur psychology in relating the Atsara with ‘discouraging smoking’. These parallels will be explained below.

The birth of the Atsara can be traced to the birth of another important social event in Bhutan’s history – the Tshechu, in the 8th century. Guru Padmasambhava instituted this practice. The tshechu is deeply rooted in a Bhutanese ‘culture’ that has transcended centuries. This culture is defined as the respect and recognition of our ancestors and, the preservation of our age-old traditions, which are guided spiritually by our protective deities. During these social focal-points, the symbolisms of our deities obliterating the forces of evil are the culmination of all events. Atsaras, since times long forgotten, have been the protective deities of this social event.

They have guided the spirit of this consecrated occasion and protected its inherent values.

On the flipside, the atsaras have also aided in projecting the holy messages of the events onto their devotees, and at times enacted the satirical role of critiquing the society towards which the event was intended. In the latter role, the Atsara also depicts the age-old Bhutaneses sense of irony.

Today though, the Atsara is viewed merely as a jester and is often mocked. The rush of tourism in recent years, and the growing awareness of the profitability of this occupation have left the Atsara a shadow of its former self. The Atsara of today is no longer a protective deity nor a guiding spirit,
but merely a clown gesticulating humorously and often lewdly to mend his own pocket.

Though the Atsara have lost most of its intrinsic values in the modern scenario, two of its most significant and inherent roles i.e. transmitting the religious message conveyed during Tshechus; and, being a vital critic of an individual and society, remains intact and well-known.

This historical overview present some qualifying reasons as to why the Atsara exclusively be used for this marketing campaign. The application of amateur psychology parallels is explained here. These reasons are:

1. The Atsara, in the Bhutanese context is not new to relaying and communicating socially valuable messages.
2. the Atsara is one of Bhutan’s most iconic social critics; a feature that enhances the message that it wants to convey – in our case, to discourage smoking.
3. The messages that are conveyed by the Atsara do not undermine the people that they are focuced toward. For the old, it can be perceived as a religious message; for the youth, a ‘cool’ icon that can be discussed in less than seriousness; and for the young; a subtle message that may remain imbedded for years to come.
4. The Atsara is a comic and humorous character, which will help communicate the message comfortably towards people, who are irked by the current circumstances of banning in Bhutan.
5. Most importantly, the Atsara is a recognizable icon across various gender and age groups. The old people realize their cultural and religious significance, and the yound are enamored with Bhutan’s only indigenously grown “clown”.