October 2 is Gandhi Jayanti and through the Mahatma’s birthday came the International Day of Non-Violence and, in 2008, India also proposed it to be World No Alcohol Day.
Gandhi was strongly in favour of prohibition but there are only four states where alcohol is banned outright – Gujarat, Bihar, Mizoram and Nagaland. However, ordinary citizens may not know it but prohibition is actually a national guideline written into the Constitution under the Directive Principles of State Policy. States are meant to “endeavour” to bring about prohibition of “intoxicating drinks” injurious to health.
And yet, in fact, prohibition has weakened in the country over the decades even as we still cling on to the principle of it. This in itself is not unusual – India still describes itself as a secular country even as it moves closer to Hindutva and it is still officially socialist when it has long ago abandoned most aspects of state control of the economy.
India’s relationship with alcohol is a complex one. It has centuries of experience of making and consuming liquor but modern temperance movements have emphasised alcohol’s contribution to the problems of domestic violence, poverty, premature death, corruption and addiction.
As a result, we cannot make up our minds as to what we really want to do – ban booze or imbibe it?
Meghalaya has been promoting local fruit wine, recently legalised production of rice beer and also cut excise rates on beer. There’s definitely no danger of Meghalaya ever bringing in prohibition – the state would lose too much money. Anecdotally, it would appear that Meghalaya has a serious problem with alcohol addiction but it cannot be helped – Meghalaya profits from the addicts.
Other states are no less guilty of hypocrisy.
In Maharashtra, consumers are still legally required to obtain a permit before buying alcohol but no one is ever asked to produce one at bars or liquor shops and therefore no one ever has one. But the requirement is still kept on the statute books as the police find it a convenient tool to arrest people at rowdy parties, etc.
In Gujarat, one of the four dry states, foreigners and visitors from other states are permitted to purchase alcohol. Even locals who have lived elsewhere in the past and are now back in Gujarat can apply for a special licence to legally allow them to drink.
So, it appears that prohibition is mostly for show, not substance. Even in wet states, we still need to pretend for a few days in a year to be against alcohol. So we declare dry days on special occasions, such as Gandhi Jayanti, Independence Day, Republic Day, Christmas and so on. But if you’re in desperate need of a tipple on these days, don’t worry, bootleggers abound. They are there to fill a gap in the market, to provide a service and meet a need.
There are very real problems with the consumption of alcohol but India needs to be honest with itself and end this duality – or hypocrisy, call it what you will.
