For 55-year-old Ramesh*, a school teacher from Darjeeling, a steady breath while climbing a staircase seemed like the biggest victory. Within months of quitting smoking, he told his doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, that he was able to climb to the fourth storey of his house without collapsing or feeling out of breath. He showed how his skin had cleared out — earlier it was patchy and his lips were blue.

He had been receiving treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — a progressive lung disease that causes chronic inflammation and difficulty breathing. Smoking is one of the triggers and Ramesh had been smoking 30 cigarettes or beedis daily for years. The doctors treating his lung condition said that the only way he would improve was i

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