Author Khushwant Singh's walk against drugs ends in Khatkar Kalan

Nawanshahr, December 18

Author Khushwant Singh successfully completed his six-day walk against drugs in the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh, Khatkar Kalan.

Anti-drug narrative confined to politics

The anti-drug narrative has remained confined to political discourse for votes. If politicians find another topic to woo voters, they will forget about drug abuse. Political speeches calling for action against drugs don’t inspire the youth. — Khushwant Singh, Author

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Joining him on the final day were 112-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh and Lt Gen KJS Tiny Dhillon. Former Miss India Navneet Dhillon, erstwhile State Information Commissioner Lt Gen Ajae Sharma (retd), actor Dan Dhanoa and kathak dancer Nandita Puri are some other prominent people who were a part of it. The trek, which began in New Chandigarh on December 10, covered a distance of approximately one hundred kilometres, with Khushwant Singh maintaining an impressive average of 15 kilometres every day.

The author shared that several political leaders wanted to join him, but he dissuaded them from doing so. He said he urged them not to take part in the trek because it was a “purely non-political endeavour”.

“The primary objective of the walk was to stimulate the consciousness of civil society regarding its moral duty to address drug abuse in Punjab,” the author stressed. He also emphasised the need to move beyond political rhetoric and put in meaningful efforts to combat the issue.

“The anti-drug narrative has remained confined to political discourse for votes. If politicians find another topic to woo voters, they will forget about drug abuse,” warned Khushwant.

He also highlighted the importance of directly addressing the youth, stating, “Political speeches calling for action against drugs don’t inspire the youth. We need an approach where people talk to them directly. Convincing them in the right way can help tackle the drug menace.”

During the six-day walk, Khushwant made numerous pit stops to engage with people from diverse sections of society.