In 2020, Mumbai-based creative professional Mandar Shete achieved something he had unsuccessfully attempted to do several times in years past. An active smoker since the age of 17, he gave up cigarettes entirely as a result of the pandemic. “I stopped smoking last April because cigarettes weren’t available easily due to the lockdown. As weeks went by, I did not feel the need to smoke anymore,” says Shete, now 34, who used to smoke about five cigarettes a day earlier. 

It wasn’t easy for him initially, but cost savings turned out to be a surprising motivation. Though cigarettes are available now, they are still being sold at varying and high prices, which are not affordable for many smokers. In a serious attempt, Shete has been able to avoid the harmful habit for the last 13 months already, and hopes to continue this. The fact that he feels more fit than before is an added benefit.