Father forgive them for they don't know what they drink

These days people in Kerala refrain from admitting that they enjoy consuming liquor and more that they are taken to making a beeline at the bar of the government retail alcohol outlet (Beverages Co outlet). This may be, speaking straight, largely furthered by a collective attempt by the media of all types over the years, of stigmatising the drinker as a 'serpent' or a 'reptile'.

I won't blame the media or the society for overtly showering such contumely on the drinker, particularly since they live in a country that has also produced some great exponents and preachers of teetotalism, over which there are no arguments of being a lesser virtue. However, given that the society as well as the government have today decided to go ahead - although half heartedly - with the policy of supporting de-jury, the section of the population that makes, sells and consumes liquor, I think it is proper to give my view that the drinkers of the land deserve a bit more respect from the sober side as well as from that lot who are sober when not drunk.

The other brighter side of the society should at the least, consider the fact that the inebriated side is contributing profusely into the state revenue. Here, the question sort of obtrudes is whether the major part of the money spent by the drinkers reaches the coffers of the state or does it end up in the coffers of the rapacious liquor barons of the land.

For those who are peeved about my qualifying the liquor barons as rapacious, I forward a couple of facts including a news report of recent times below

• News-bit - The sugarcane farmers of Marayur are facing a crisis with low prices for jaggery and severe shortage of labourers. At present, the price per kilogram of jaggery is Rs.30 and farmers say that it will be remunerative if they get at least Rs.45 a kg. Though the price per kg had gone up to Rs.55 earlier, the farmers say that they did not received the benefits. The lack of a procurement agencies force the farmers to sell the product to middlemen who decide the market prices.

• Brandy is a spirit made by distilling wine (made from grapes), whisky is a type of liquor obtained by fermenting grain mash (largely barley), vodka is produced by distilling fermented substances such as potatoes, grains or molasses, and rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage produced from directly from sugar cane juice or by-products such as molasses.

On the other bitter side of all, Indian brandy, rum, whisky and vodka are based on spirits, which are distilled from fermented molasses. Is it not pathetic that  such drink varieties are collectively likely to be labelled 'rum'. Most of these drinks are simply coloured with a clouring agent (caramel) to imitate the effect of aging. This cleanly translates into the truth that a gourmet of the day that boasts of having had quality whisky, brandy or vodka in Kerala, as a matter of fact, have had nothing more than the good old 'arrack' that was available in the arrack shops which were ubiquitous in the state around and before a couple of decades.

The Midday Bar Robbery

Recently when I had inquired about the cost invloved in producing local liqour, one of my acquaintances that had been once taken to producing hooch locally, revealed that he used to get a litre of liqour from a kg of jaggery, with the other requsites being just yeast and tody solids (or flower-cluster of the coconut tree). This means by today's price standards, obtaining 100 bottles of fresh hooch this way involves an expenditure of approximately Rs 3,000. Add to this the fact that producing liqour from sugar cane molasses is tad less comparatively.

What is the link between Toddy and Coconut Tree?

Take the case of the God's own toddy of Kerala. Just give a few moments for circumspection. Now tell me how many tody tappers do you find around you today? How many coconut trees to do you find in your vicnity given for toddy tapping? On the other hand you will be definitely aware of this that there is hardly any shortage of drinkable toddy in almost every Panchayath across Kerala. Is it not a travesty on the liqour policy of the land that more than half of the toddy consumers of the state are aware of the fact they are guzzling gallons of water treated with a chemical substance that mimics the taste of natural toddy. More poignant is the truth that toddy made through such a process incurs a production cost as low as less than Rs 5 a bottle.

My Health-drink at my Home

Now have you ever come across terms such as 'eau de vie' and 'cognac'? Eau de vie is a clear, colorless fruit brandy that is produced by means of fermentation and double distillation. The fruit flavor is typically very light. I ask you if the liqour policy of the state is so loose, why shouldn't the homes be allowed to make their own drink in accordance to their tastes? This according to me will ensure that every household in the state that has a person in it that enjoys booze has its own healthy flavonoid-rich 'eau de vie' and 'cognacs' (grape brandy barrel-matured longer in a similar way to the maturing of whiskies and wines) ready for its own use (not for sale). The major disadvantage of such a situation is apparently the state's losing some revenue and the liqour barron being hit the most.

Finally Scotch is available at the Indian Streets

Let me ask you this as well, Vijay Mallya has finally brought great pride to the land recently by acquiring the renowned Scotch label 'Whyte and Mackay' and launching the big brand 'Black Dog' (Scotch Whisky) in India. Now how do you think Mallya is going to get his continuous supply of raw material for the bottle, which is spirit of 19 years of age? Even if he provides exactly that initially, do you not think that there might be a point where the enormous alcohol consuming population should outdrink this first supply and would be served the regulation thing then onwards?

Now tell me O.. enlightened men and women of the land.... Are your hands clean enough for treating your kin that has decided to taste booze, so lowly, as low as stigmatising them giving them the name of a reptile? Particularly when those people (both representatives of people and the liqour barons)  you acclaim over the TV and other media that are responsible for setting up a healthy drinkning culture in the land are having a rum time either by literally selling 'hooch' and raking in billions or licking the lips of those venders. To top it, do not the sugar cane farmers deserve at least a nominal share from this massive loot?