Tobacco control advocates in India who have been active for more than two decades, together with a few ageing colleagues from the west, will remember the sweat and toil of trying to kick-start a self-sustaining and viable Indian tobacco control movement in the 1980s. The switch-back ride from optimism to disappointment, the new dawns and false starts, the workshop sessions shouted against noisy air conditioners, the sheer hard work, heat and dust of it all – in those days it seemed an impossible dream to reach the present situation. However, there is now a real will at federal government level, led by one of the world’s most outstanding health ministers, and many skilled, experienced and well informed health advocates constantly monitoring developments and lobbying for progress. India is a very different place now, a fact recognised by its successful bid to host the next world conference on tobacco and health.

Among the more visible evidence of change recently was an incident on the front line of the ongoing battle for comprehensive tobacco control legislation. Unlike most big tobacco consuming nations, India’s biggest …