Liquor's Paradise

Today is the Malayalam star of Atham and the countdown to Onam has begun. Ten days from today will be the Onam festival which falls on the Malayalam star of Thiruonam in the month of Chingam. This festival is the highlight of life in Kerala as it is celebrated by all irrespective of class and creed. The flower carpet that greets one at the doorstep of all homes is laid out from this morning and reaches a crescendo as far as size and intricacy go by the tenth day. The preparation for Onam including the flower carpet, new clothes, kaikottikalli and the cuisine for all the days is something that has to be worked out in advance and gives so much of joy to all concerned. However the intention of this article is not to point out the highlights of the festival but to bring to attention of the reader another aspect of Onam, which is not so pleasant to read or to hear especially if you are a Malayali and a Marunaadan (someone who does not live in Kerala) Malayali at that.
To add to the already vibrant mood of the Malayali male during this festival is the intake of alcohol. It is but common all over the world to toast any celebration with alcohol; however to a Malayali the consumption of the same seems to be the main focus. I am forced to say this because records how shown thus. How can we otherwise justify the sales of alcohol during the Onam season in the year 2010? It is said that the sales reached a whopping 235 crores of rupees in that single week. Thus securing the first place as a revenue earner and surpassing the revenue from petrol and diesel!! Well one way of looking at it could be that alcohol is to the Malayali male what petrol and diesel are to the motor vehicles. Both in a way provide fuel, except that one can easily be done without. I wonder as to what records are going to be broken this coming season??
As a child when we used to travel by car from Chennai to Calicut, just on crossing the border at Walayar, there would be a vivid change in the landscape and in the midst of the lush green would stand out little huts which had large handwritten boards pronouncing Toddy/Arrack. The board would be both in Malayalam and Tamil. Since Tamilnadu was a dry state where there was prohibition, it was common for people to cross over and either become tipplers or turn bootleggers. I cannot remember the IMFL shops, but I am sure there must have been more than one in every hamlet. It is indeed upsetting to note that nothing has changed in the intervening decades. Instead there has been a progressive degradation with every passing year.
A stage has reached when the word SHOP or SHAAP has only one meaning. If Communism flourishes in Kerala, it can be seen in its true form outside a Liquor Shop. Here the rich and the poor and the old and the young are all equal and are ready to stand in a perfect queue and wait their turn. There is no chaos like what prevails in a bus stop or a train station or a movie theatre. The camaraderie is so perfect that if someone is in a hurry, he is allowed to cut the queue and make his purchase. It is said that on the day before a hartal or bandh the queue at the Liquor shop is so serpentine that it can easily be more than a 500 metres long. I wonder if the State provides as part of their Onam markets which cater to clothes and provisions, a separate market for Liquor. Otherwise how on earth can it be possible for liquor of this amount to be sold from the existing shops? It is mind boggling that a state with a population of 31 million of which anywhere between 5-10 million may form the targeted group can consume this quantity of alcohol.
Wonder as to what forms the basis of this trend. I think one of the main reasons could be the availability of easy money. With lack of industries, thanks to the prevalent policies, most of the youth are without any commendable jobs. At the same time most of the families have bread winners in the Gulf States who remit diligently substantial amounts to their families in the State. With peer pressure mounting, mothers are forced to hand out the hard earned money to their sons, who think nothing about squandering the same at the SHAAP. Depending on the financial position the visit can be to a Toddy or Arrack parlour (the modern parlance for a shop) or to an IMFL bar or can just be a purchase from the shop to be had at home. Liquor has taken such a centre stage when it comes to the social fabric that any small happening calls for the opening of a bottle. This is so truly reflected in the Malayalam Films where it is hard to come across a movie which does not involve at least a couple of scenes without the bottle. How can it be otherwise, for in the recent past the film industry has lost to the bottle so many talented actors, musicians and lyricists who had in them so many more years of genius left. The scene is so sad and I wonder as to what the remedy if there is one could be.
The shady offshoot of the liquor industry is the illegal brewing which is ever so rampant. In connivance with corrupt tax officials this industry thrives. It is only when there is a hooch tragedy that the Government opens its eyes to close them again in no time. Alcohol seems to be a curse which has permeated into all strata of society. As long as the treasury is filling, I wonder if the State would ever bother to curb the menace. It is after all Liquor that is spinning Kerala its Gold.
I wonder as to what the figures would be at the end of this Onam season. I am sure it will break the ceiling set last year and set yet another unbelievable record. If Kerala is GOD’S OWN COUNTRY, then it has also sadly earned the sobriquet as LIQUOR’S PARADISE