Part Prohibition and Reduction of Liquor
That was a Saturday afternoon and Martin told us that he would very much love to take us to Branson city in Missouri State. Only two hours' drive from Bentonville and that too trough a rural road. Rural roads are as good as city roads and therefore we could not make out the difference very well. Any way it was a cold day and there was fog on the way to Branson city where people go during their weekends to spend time and leisure. The Titanic Museum was a real attraction there for the tourists to Branson and we were issued with boarding pass to get into the ship. Titanic's crashing in the Atlantic Sea is known to all and we could see how it was. The guide who took us through the cabins, halls, docks etc. of the ship told us about the extent of coldness of the water at the time Titanic crashed. He asked us to put our index finger in the water and a stop watch was there to show us the duration of the time we could put our index finger .Maximum time was three minutes and I pulled my finger after 50 seconds or so.there was benumbing and according to him, no one could survive the coldness of the water more than three minutes. We saw the signaling system, Mores Code, dining hall, sleeping arrangements, food storage, indoor games hall etc. and they were superb. We were not allowed to carry our camera and therefore we could take a photograph of visit and left Branson city at about 4o'clock in the evening.
On our way back through the rural roads, I asked Martin to tell me whether or not liquor was available on the way. Why did I ask him so? Once I was travelling from Thodupuzha to a nearby town-about 20 kilometers distance- I could count nearly a dozen toddy shops and I was shocked to hear that the rural folk there enjoyed drinking toddy either alone or toddy mixed with spirit. Martin told me that liquor was prohibited in that County and he could get one from the nearby County where the sale of liquor was permitted. Honestly, I did not want liquor and therefore my discussion turned to an academic direction. X'mas was just over and I did listen to the T.V.telecast about the liquor sale during the X'mas season ,2010 and the incredible rise in the sale followed by the routine channel discussions taking us nowhere about the causes, control and prevention of liquor sale in the beautiful State of Kerala.
In Kerala, there is a long queue in front of every liquor shop and liquor shops are seen throughout the State. If I remember correctly, it was Mr.A.K. Antony's Government which enforced a total prohibition of the sale of arrack in the State and permitted the sale of toddy alone. Even at that time, there were strong criticisms against his Government's not well studied and thought out decision. Many were of the view that the total prohibition was no solution –rather creating awareness about the evil effects of drinking was a better solution. I too wrote articles in the vernacular dailies and I remember to have written an American decision to impose prohibition and later their decision to lift the total prohibition as found to be an utter failure. No one heard about it or if at all heard, did not attend to it seriously.
Now in U.S.A.,there are Counties where sale of liquor is permitted and there are Counties where there is prohibition. People who want to drink liquor go to Counties where the sale is permitted and purchase bottles. Of course, side by side, there is strict and serious law enforcement in Counties where prohibition prevails.Certainity of punishment is ensured for the violation of law so much so that I did not or I could not find hooch anywhere there. I do not think that liquor addiction is a police problem here, rather is a psychiatric problem. Of course there is drunken driving and the law takes its course, if caught.
In Kerala, my question is: 'Why don't we allow the sale of arrack in selected talukas and impose prohibition in other talukas?'People who want to drink arrack will purchase bottles from the talukas where they are available. The non-availability of liquor lavishly everywhere at the beck and call of the people is a sure and proved method of reducing the number of people who drink. It is learnt that the U.S. experiment was a real success and they could considerably reduce the number of people who drink here.As liquor shops are plenty in Kerala, people are tempted to drink .Hooch is available and illicit transport of spirit is in vogue. Law enforcement is said to be weak and there is allegation that there exists an unholy nexus among the bureaucrats, liquor businessmen, politicians so much so that the sale of poison is in full swing in the State. My humble suggestion is to impose or enforce PART PROHIBITION(area-wise) for the reduction the incredible sale of liquor and illicit liquor.
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