Pink for a breast cancer awarness drive

(life) In a bid to spread awareness on breast cancer, colleges, shopping malls and monuments in some cities in the North of India were lit pink under the campaign 'Take a #BreastBreak.

Started by beauty brand Avon in October, the campaign has seen participation from colleges like Daulat Ram (Delhi University), Vidya University (Meerut) and shopping malls like DLF Mall of India, DLF Promenade and DLF Cyberhub and Elante Mall Chandigarh.

#BreastBreak pledge booths were set up where volunteers urged people to take a pledge to go for self-examination and take one of their loved ones for a breast check-up. Flash mobs were also enacted to further reinforce the message.

Bollywood actresses Soha Ali Khan, Bhumi Padnekar, Claudia Ciesla and Kainaat Arora also joined the campaign and posted pictures on their social media handles pledging to take breast breaks.

Ace fashion designer Anupama Dayal also joined the campaign and held a Pink Show at the 12th edition of the India Runway Week.

From 35-year-old Sapna Aggarwal to 75-year-old Promila Katyal 25 breast cancer survivors walked the runway for the designer. "Breast cancer can be prevented easily if we take out just 1 minute in a week to test ourselves. All women need to take a breast break," said Dayal.

According to Dayal, "I have always tried working towards these kinds of causes where society as a whole can be benefited. In India, women hardly care about themselves. We need to educate women in India about this deadly disease."

Dayal said that having real-life cancer survivors in the spotlight can help extend the reach of the cause. "There are so many shows happening but people don't go for every show. But people wanted to attend this show when they got to know about these models," she said.

Swati Jain, Marketing Director, Avon India, said: "Statistics show that in India, out of every two women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer, passes away. We have been running the breast cancer awareness drive for three consecutive years now and our intention has not only been raising awareness but also equipping women with the knowledge of self-breast examination. All our endeavors with our current campaign are directed towards educating people about breast cancer and how dangerous it can be if not detected early,"

(Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@.in)

( With inputs from IANS )