Magician Malayil Hamsa has another reason to remember June 26, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. It was on this day in 1995 that he began using magic to campaign against alcohol and drug abuse.

Having witnessed families devastated by alcoholism during his childhood, Mr. Hamsa began weaving anti-drug messages into his performances, turning his art into a vehicle for public awareness.

Over the past three decades, he has performed on more than 3,000 stages in India and abroad, ensuring that every programme includes at least one act on the dangers of substance abuse.

Central to his campaign is Stop Drugs and Drinks, a 20-minute skit blending magic and theatre to highlight the harmful effects of alcohol and narcotics. The production has been staged across Kerala.

In 2013, Mr. Hamsa and his troupe joined the Jyothirgamaya anti-drug awareness Yatra organised by the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) anti-alcohol committee.

He has also worked with the Excise department’s Vimukthi Mission, National Health Mission, Education department, and Childline, besides schools, colleges, clubs, and cultural organisations. During the Jyothirgamaya Yatra, he was honoured for his contribution to anti-drug awareness.

In 2024, Mr. Hamsa collaborated with the Malappuram municipality to organise ‘Drug the Trap, Save the Children’, an awareness tour across several municipal wards. His wife Haseena Malayil, a motivational speaker and principal of the Kudumbashree unit Top Skill Teachers Training Centre under the municipality, conducted parenting sessions as part of the campaign.

His work has extended beyond the stage. In 2017, he helped lead a campaign against the opening of a foreign liquor outlet at Korangode near Malappuram.

Mr. Hamsa is the founder of MATCH (Malappuram Art and Cultural Heritage), a collective of artistes in Malappuram. He is currently the principal of Smart Solutions mobile phone engineering institute at Manjeri.

Looking back on three decades of campaigning, Mr. Hamsa said public attitudes had changed greatly.

“Substance abuse has become a major threat to future generations. There was a time when anti-drug activism was dismissed. I am glad society now recognises its importance,” he said.