After half and hour of very light exercise and stretching in the evening I feel relaxed now and all I miss here is just a chilled can of beer to double my joy of exercising. But wait I am in Mahatma’s Gujarat where I can not get that easily in the bright sunlight. Even those who want and regularly have it can get it after sunset. May be that is the beauty of the ban in Gujarat or may be that is the right time to have it under the soothing glow of moon.
In yesteryears it was written on the dirty and dimly lit walls of my hostel toilet:
The best way to appreciate a gazal or a piece of music is to have a drink in the distant corner of the room with music system by your side. At least that is the way I feel it should be. For years I enjoy music and I enjoyed drinking too. In Gujarat it is difficult to get that thing but not impossible if you really want to have it. Few of my drunkard friends and connoisseurs of flavors of liquor and wine made it even easier for me to get it at regular intervals. Usually week-ends are the best to have that stuff if you are in Gujarat and are able to arrange it somehow, which is really very easy actually.
For quite sometime now bees from the both ends are buzzing whether to booze or not to booze. Elite of the society and few institutions are trying to fuddle Modi Government to lift almost 50 year old ban on alcohol in the state of Gujarat. And all those who are against this ban easily get liquor and can enjoy it freely in Gujarat but they still want total freedom or ‘Purna Swaraj” as they don’t want to drink in the dark corners inside their house. Excitement to manage and get liquor somehow from local bootleggers is more funny and hilarious an exercise than boozing itself actually. For years, since my hostel days I am enjoying this exercise and still very happy with the same. I am in double mind now whether to support or not to support ‘the elite of the society’ to lift ban.
Since this December both local and national media is reporting and covering stories about this and also have published few editorials. I think they are very much concerned about the fate of the 5 crore Janta of Gujarat, even more than Mr. Narendra Modi himself. For years it is common perception in Gujarat that he is more worried about Janta of Gujarat than Janta itself. But at least he is more worried about the on going debate in Gujarat.
Even bloggers are nowhere behind to criticize what is going on in Gujarat for last two three months. Few of them don’t know where Gujarat is or how do you feel when you don’t have wine-shops in your neighbourhood. But it is their fundamental right to shout and to do whatever they want to do and to do it however they please to do it. Concept of fundamental rights is borrowed in Indian constitution from British and French constitution. But from Japanese constitution we have borrowed one more concept, and I think blogger are not aware about it. Concept of fundamental duties of a citizen towards nation and preamble reflects it in the best possible way. Preserving bloggers rights are as important as they understand their own duty and post anything on their websites responsibly.
These are the links to the bloggers where you can find all the articles related to the malt march and prohibition in Gujarat. They discuss it at length.
Maltmarch.org – because drinking is a fundamental right.
Any Questions, Comments? Send an email to bartender @ maltmarch.org.
Mutiny.in -- the great Indian mutiny.
Mundane Musings
India Brew -- Indian Beer and Alcohol Industry Update, Analysis and Policy Watch
Few stories from the newspapers:
The Times of India
Hindustan Times
The Indian Express
No one knows in the wide world who coined this new word or movement ‘The Malt March’ but word of mouth spread it like wild fire in Gujarat and popular media giving it box-stories on the front page made it a hot topic here.
What the think-tank behind this march, Dinesh Hinduja, a business man says about this:
"The Malt March is not aimed at encouraging people to drink alcohol but to urge the government to free the state from prohibition law so that anybody can drink without the fear of breaking the law" he says that age old law is now redundant in Gujarat and we don’t need it but Gandhians want it the same way. Yet again I am confused with whom I should go, with Gandhians and to remain loyal to the last drop of liquor or to act the way Mr. Hinduja want and to participate in the malt march. Anyway I enjoy the way I drink, behind the closed doors, just the way Gandhians want the people of Gujarat to drink.
Minister of state for law, Amit Shah, told a local newspaper here that they have no idea about any such march and they will take further actions if necessary if the actual malt march takes place. I don’t think it is going to happen here. I know the people of Gujarat and they are very happy with the prohibition. They don’t think of it as a trial period but want it forever on the skies of Gujarat. This is my personal opinion about the people of Gujarat and not necessarily this is what they are thinking but I know my people very well.
I totally agree with Dinesh Hinduja when he says that “I believe in freedom of choice. Please explain why it is a crime to drink in Gujarat?” Pro-liquor movement or alcoholic disobedience is only possible way to fight against government to lift band on liquor in Gujarat. But as I am against any kind of movement or rebellion which is a distinct possibility in India I only am a passive supporter of the movement and have decided not to join at least the march. Don’t look at me surprised, this is the way people in almost every part of India acts and I love them the way they are, obedient and always ready for the next laathi. I love the way Mahatma moved them, the only possible way to deal with such people. Very obedient and even more lazy.
National newspaper Hindustan Times, on 30th January 2007, reports that, Supporters, mainly urban professionals, are using Internet blogs to promote the legal sale of liquor and are collecting data to show how the unworkable ban encourages smuggling and bootleggers. Who are these urban professionals and Blogger-Supporters? Most of them up to my knowledge are either Non-Gujaratis or are not in Gujarat. They don’t represent 5 crore Janta of Gujarat, at least their representation is less than that of Mr. Narendra Modi.
They even have started fund raising campaign on their official blog: maltmarch.org. On this and the other blogs they argue that Gujarat is out of the investment race because of prohibition here. Both I and my father don’t agree with them on this. They are now also dragging Mr. Gandhi in to the whole thing. Now few of them are also against this malt march and they want prohibition should be there for next few years. Among them are few critics who think that this whole thing is a conspiracy of outsiders and a group of post graduate students from Gujarat Vidhyapeeth. They are not ‘modern urban professionals’ so they don’t have their own website obviously. Only the one millionth of total population know anything about blogging and even fewer are interested in movement online. Ban or no ban poor people of Gujarat somehow manage their drinks without intellectual concerns and their foolish consequences.
How many of us know what actually happened back almost 75 years when Gandhiji on March 12, 1930 started The Salt March or the Salt Satyagraha? What I know is that The March was non-violent and was all about the amendment of salt tax without breaking the law. Gandhi never insisted anyone to follow him during the march that lasted on April 6, 1930 and projected it as his personal affair. I am not anyway for or against the malt march but I hope that the movement will be non-violent one, if not than it loses the meaning altogether. I don’t know how Chief Minister is going to act as the date of the malt march is yet undecided. Are they targeting 12th march 2007 for their malt march as way back in 1930 on the same day Mr. Gandhi started The Salt March or Salt Satyagraha. I can’t say so surely but I think that is their in the back of their mind. I hope they do it nonviolently.
I am against any kind of war, including civil being the worst of them all. I don’t want to engage myself discussing philosophy of necessity or avoidance of war in the history of human race but I think all wars are violent. That sounds very funny as we all know wars are always violent but I think that is not the case always.
What do they say at their website maltmarch.org? What are their memoranda or understanding of the present situation or as they say on the official web-site the inspiration for the malt march? They say that one of the major objectives is to make a case that the context under which Gandhi instituted prohibition is not valid today. Today, alcohol prohibition in Gujarat is an outdated, corruption and crime breeding, short sighted law which must be systematically removed. I don’t know whether it is valid or not valid or unconstitutional, as few of them argue, or not but I know one thing that is surely is outdated and helps only to increase corruption.
Salt march was for the poor and on his letter to the Viceroy Lord Irwin Gandhi wrote that he regarded tax on salt to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor man's standpoint. He unified the independence movement of India with the salt march and stated that movement is essentially for the poorest in the land. But now what 20 Feb, 2007 0005hrs IST Times News Network report says on The Times of India website? 'Liquor doesn't make poor poorer' .The story says that the report on the case study of Ahmadabad slums’ was not made public because it was ‘politically incorrect’. Now god knows what they mean and how they define “politically incorrect”. Story further says: the survey showed that the consumption of liquor by poor people was not at the cost of essential items. Now this is really hilarious as I have been their in the slums and they don’t drink what we drink in the comforts of our drawing room’s quiet corner. Price of country wine, popularly known as Potali or Lattha, is same as it was before 10 years and shows no bad effects of inflation. This study conducted by R Radhakrishna, Bhanumati K Parikh and NC Shah of the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research in mid 70s is correct as far as my knowledge goes about the subject. I personally feel that “liquor doesn’t make poor poorer’ and from Gandhiji’s view point not going to affect the poor at all if they don’t extend the prohibition period.
Effects of The Salt March were felt all over India but if The Malt March will happen in the near future the effects will be limited to the state of Gujarat only. March or No-march, hope that we will get some cheap liquor in Gujarat very soon as if they lift the ban major international brewing groups are ready to start their operations in Gujarat also.
And for those who don’t care about all this and just want to make their own beer at home there is this link for you: 4 simple steps to MAKE YOUR OWN BEER at home. Just don’t involve your self in political complexities just chill out and have beer.
Good luck and Three Cheers to drunkards.
* * * * * * * * *
P.S.
MaltMarch will be holding a Lecture/Debate on 25/02, 6PM at the Ellis Bridge Gymkhana, Ahmedabad. To participate in this event and further details visit maltmarch.org
Copyrights reserved with respected owners. Image Courtesy wikipedia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.
All rights reserved with 20 box. © 2007 20 box.
In yesteryears it was written on the dirty and dimly lit walls of my hostel toilet:
After few months I had realized that it was a gazal by famous Indian gazal singer. Sometime later one another kind of music genre added to my collection and I enjoyed gazals for coming years and still am enjoying gazals for years now.
Maiykhane se sharab se saki se jam se,
Apani to zindagi suru hoti hai sham se.
The best way to appreciate a gazal or a piece of music is to have a drink in the distant corner of the room with music system by your side. At least that is the way I feel it should be. For years I enjoy music and I enjoyed drinking too. In Gujarat it is difficult to get that thing but not impossible if you really want to have it. Few of my drunkard friends and connoisseurs of flavors of liquor and wine made it even easier for me to get it at regular intervals. Usually week-ends are the best to have that stuff if you are in Gujarat and are able to arrange it somehow, which is really very easy actually.
For quite sometime now bees from the both ends are buzzing whether to booze or not to booze. Elite of the society and few institutions are trying to fuddle Modi Government to lift almost 50 year old ban on alcohol in the state of Gujarat. And all those who are against this ban easily get liquor and can enjoy it freely in Gujarat but they still want total freedom or ‘Purna Swaraj” as they don’t want to drink in the dark corners inside their house. Excitement to manage and get liquor somehow from local bootleggers is more funny and hilarious an exercise than boozing itself actually. For years, since my hostel days I am enjoying this exercise and still very happy with the same. I am in double mind now whether to support or not to support ‘the elite of the society’ to lift ban.Since this December both local and national media is reporting and covering stories about this and also have published few editorials. I think they are very much concerned about the fate of the 5 crore Janta of Gujarat, even more than Mr. Narendra Modi himself. For years it is common perception in Gujarat that he is more worried about Janta of Gujarat than Janta itself. But at least he is more worried about the on going debate in Gujarat.
Even bloggers are nowhere behind to criticize what is going on in Gujarat for last two three months. Few of them don’t know where Gujarat is or how do you feel when you don’t have wine-shops in your neighbourhood. But it is their fundamental right to shout and to do whatever they want to do and to do it however they please to do it. Concept of fundamental rights is borrowed in Indian constitution from British and French constitution. But from Japanese constitution we have borrowed one more concept, and I think blogger are not aware about it. Concept of fundamental duties of a citizen towards nation and preamble reflects it in the best possible way. Preserving bloggers rights are as important as they understand their own duty and post anything on their websites responsibly.
These are the links to the bloggers where you can find all the articles related to the malt march and prohibition in Gujarat. They discuss it at length.
Maltmarch.org – because drinking is a fundamental right.
Any Questions, Comments? Send an email to bartender @ maltmarch.org.
Mutiny.in -- the great Indian mutiny.
Mundane Musings
India Brew -- Indian Beer and Alcohol Industry Update, Analysis and Policy Watch
Few stories from the newspapers:
The Times of India
Hindustan Times
The Indian Express
No one knows in the wide world who coined this new word or movement ‘The Malt March’ but word of mouth spread it like wild fire in Gujarat and popular media giving it box-stories on the front page made it a hot topic here.
What the think-tank behind this march, Dinesh Hinduja, a business man says about this:
"The Malt March is not aimed at encouraging people to drink alcohol but to urge the government to free the state from prohibition law so that anybody can drink without the fear of breaking the law" he says that age old law is now redundant in Gujarat and we don’t need it but Gandhians want it the same way. Yet again I am confused with whom I should go, with Gandhians and to remain loyal to the last drop of liquor or to act the way Mr. Hinduja want and to participate in the malt march. Anyway I enjoy the way I drink, behind the closed doors, just the way Gandhians want the people of Gujarat to drink.
Minister of state for law, Amit Shah, told a local newspaper here that they have no idea about any such march and they will take further actions if necessary if the actual malt march takes place. I don’t think it is going to happen here. I know the people of Gujarat and they are very happy with the prohibition. They don’t think of it as a trial period but want it forever on the skies of Gujarat. This is my personal opinion about the people of Gujarat and not necessarily this is what they are thinking but I know my people very well.
I totally agree with Dinesh Hinduja when he says that “I believe in freedom of choice. Please explain why it is a crime to drink in Gujarat?” Pro-liquor movement or alcoholic disobedience is only possible way to fight against government to lift band on liquor in Gujarat. But as I am against any kind of movement or rebellion which is a distinct possibility in India I only am a passive supporter of the movement and have decided not to join at least the march. Don’t look at me surprised, this is the way people in almost every part of India acts and I love them the way they are, obedient and always ready for the next laathi. I love the way Mahatma moved them, the only possible way to deal with such people. Very obedient and even more lazy.
National newspaper Hindustan Times, on 30th January 2007, reports that, Supporters, mainly urban professionals, are using Internet blogs to promote the legal sale of liquor and are collecting data to show how the unworkable ban encourages smuggling and bootleggers. Who are these urban professionals and Blogger-Supporters? Most of them up to my knowledge are either Non-Gujaratis or are not in Gujarat. They don’t represent 5 crore Janta of Gujarat, at least their representation is less than that of Mr. Narendra Modi.
They even have started fund raising campaign on their official blog: maltmarch.org. On this and the other blogs they argue that Gujarat is out of the investment race because of prohibition here. Both I and my father don’t agree with them on this. They are now also dragging Mr. Gandhi in to the whole thing. Now few of them are also against this malt march and they want prohibition should be there for next few years. Among them are few critics who think that this whole thing is a conspiracy of outsiders and a group of post graduate students from Gujarat Vidhyapeeth. They are not ‘modern urban professionals’ so they don’t have their own website obviously. Only the one millionth of total population know anything about blogging and even fewer are interested in movement online. Ban or no ban poor people of Gujarat somehow manage their drinks without intellectual concerns and their foolish consequences.
How many of us know what actually happened back almost 75 years when Gandhiji on March 12, 1930 started The Salt March or the Salt Satyagraha? What I know is that The March was non-violent and was all about the amendment of salt tax without breaking the law. Gandhi never insisted anyone to follow him during the march that lasted on April 6, 1930 and projected it as his personal affair. I am not anyway for or against the malt march but I hope that the movement will be non-violent one, if not than it loses the meaning altogether. I don’t know how Chief Minister is going to act as the date of the malt march is yet undecided. Are they targeting 12th march 2007 for their malt march as way back in 1930 on the same day Mr. Gandhi started The Salt March or Salt Satyagraha. I can’t say so surely but I think that is their in the back of their mind. I hope they do it nonviolently.
I am against any kind of war, including civil being the worst of them all. I don’t want to engage myself discussing philosophy of necessity or avoidance of war in the history of human race but I think all wars are violent. That sounds very funny as we all know wars are always violent but I think that is not the case always.
What do they say at their website maltmarch.org? What are their memoranda or understanding of the present situation or as they say on the official web-site the inspiration for the malt march? They say that one of the major objectives is to make a case that the context under which Gandhi instituted prohibition is not valid today. Today, alcohol prohibition in Gujarat is an outdated, corruption and crime breeding, short sighted law which must be systematically removed. I don’t know whether it is valid or not valid or unconstitutional, as few of them argue, or not but I know one thing that is surely is outdated and helps only to increase corruption.
Salt march was for the poor and on his letter to the Viceroy Lord Irwin Gandhi wrote that he regarded tax on salt to be the most iniquitous of all from the poor man's standpoint. He unified the independence movement of India with the salt march and stated that movement is essentially for the poorest in the land. But now what 20 Feb, 2007 0005hrs IST Times News Network report says on The Times of India website? 'Liquor doesn't make poor poorer' .The story says that the report on the case study of Ahmadabad slums’ was not made public because it was ‘politically incorrect’. Now god knows what they mean and how they define “politically incorrect”. Story further says: the survey showed that the consumption of liquor by poor people was not at the cost of essential items. Now this is really hilarious as I have been their in the slums and they don’t drink what we drink in the comforts of our drawing room’s quiet corner. Price of country wine, popularly known as Potali or Lattha, is same as it was before 10 years and shows no bad effects of inflation. This study conducted by R Radhakrishna, Bhanumati K Parikh and NC Shah of the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research in mid 70s is correct as far as my knowledge goes about the subject. I personally feel that “liquor doesn’t make poor poorer’ and from Gandhiji’s view point not going to affect the poor at all if they don’t extend the prohibition period.
Effects of The Salt March were felt all over India but if The Malt March will happen in the near future the effects will be limited to the state of Gujarat only. March or No-march, hope that we will get some cheap liquor in Gujarat very soon as if they lift the ban major international brewing groups are ready to start their operations in Gujarat also.
And for those who don’t care about all this and just want to make their own beer at home there is this link for you: 4 simple steps to MAKE YOUR OWN BEER at home. Just don’t involve your self in political complexities just chill out and have beer.
Good luck and Three Cheers to drunkards.
* * * * * * * * *
P.S.
MaltMarch will be holding a Lecture/Debate on 25/02, 6PM at the Ellis Bridge Gymkhana, Ahmedabad. To participate in this event and further details visit maltmarch.org
Copyrights reserved with respected owners. Image Courtesy wikipedia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.All rights reserved with 20 box. © 2007 20 box.
