Prohibition
There is hardly a religion which has not discarded the habit of drinking. The Hindu saints have always been against it. In the Bible there are more ±an 150 references about this evil habit.
In the thirties, Christian missionaries in India had taken prohibition as a programme for their social propaganda throughout the country. Prophet Mohammad was deadly against it. He considered every berry of grapes the abode of devil.
The rejection of the habit of drinking was not limited to religious preachers alone, it was taken up by many writers and social workers even in Europe. George Bernard Shaw did not propagate only vegetarianism, he considered a drunkard a second rate citizen. It captured the fancy of Mr. Gorbachev the last President and the Secretary of the Communist Party of the former USSR who stopped the serving of Vodka in party meetings. Soft drinks replaced wine in his regime.
In India it was realized by Mahatma Gandhi that the habit of drinking armful for the poor. On the one hand it affects the health of the people; in the other it brings havoc to the family of the drunkard. As most of the poor is spent on drinking, the family members starve. The children are deprived of all that they should enjoy in their childhood. The drunkard indulges in all sorts of evil acts of sex and violence. It sometimes leads to murders committed by the drunkard and to suicide committed by new wives.
The Britishers were not interested in improving the condition of the poor. As drinking was a part of their culture in India they did not worry about it. But the early politicians were a breed of moralists. As soon as congress ministries were formed in seven provinces (now States) efforts ere made to impose prohibition. It met with great success.
In 1939 Indian National Congress passed a resolution to enforce prohibition in the country. On January 26, 1950 it was included in the directive principles of the Indian Constitution.
Immediately after independence, as promised by the Congress, prohibition was fully introduced in nine states as a time phased programme. Some moralist leaders like C. Rajgopalachari, Vinoba Bhave, U. N. Dhebar and Shriman Narain who were not in the government put a pressure upon the government to make prohibition a real success. From 1946 to 1956 it was a great success. But the implementation after 1958 was very poor. Bombay became a great centre of bootlegging (illegal trade in wine). The malady spread throughout the country. The enthusiasm of different state governments was also dampened.
Ultimately, in the third five year plan, it was taken as a social welfare movement. A committee was formed headed by Justice Tek Chand, a great protagonist of prohibition. The Committee made many recommendations and many times dates were fixed for complete prohibition in the country, the last being Gandhi centenary i.e. 2nd of October, 1969. But a reverse trend had already started in early sixties. Uttar Pradesh gave a lead to anti- prohibition move. It spread like a wild fire and gradually prohibition was scrapped in almost all the States. Gujarat was an exception. But, as it is said, anything that is prohibited has more temptation. Porbandar, the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi became the biggest centre of bootlegging in Gujarat. Ultimately in the eighties Gujarat too relaxed the prohibition law.
Besides the drinking lobby in the country which included many bureaucrats, businessmen and politicians prohibition was opposed by a sizable number of economists too. They were and are of the opinion that liquor is a big source of revenue to the State Governments and the Central Government too.
In the seventies prohibition meant a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs. 200 crore. As drinking is an addiction, the drunkard is ready to pay any price. Thus it tempted the State Governments to increase the quantum of different taxes. By a rough estimate prohibition would have cost the exchequer (Government Treasury) a loss of Rs. 1000 crore in the eighties.
According to an article written by Shri L. C. Jain, a former member of Planning Commission and published by a national daily on 26th of August, 1995 "For the entire country, government revenue from liquor is estimated at Rs. 10,000 crore, implying an expenditure of Rs. 50,000 crore a year by household on liquor consumption". Thus to gain Rs. 10,000 crore the nation has to spend Rs. 50,000 crore—a net loss of Rs. 40,000 crore to the nation. The Government has been tempted to net this amount of Rs. 10,000 crore.
Although a drunkard under Indian Criminal Code can be sued in court if he creates a nuisance at a public place, drinking became legalized by scrapping prohibition. The directive principle of the constitution was buried under the so called economic pragmatism.
With all this pragmatism the question still remains unanswered should there be no restriction on the evil of drinking in a country like India which has a tropical climate and where at least 50% of the people are bare below poverty line? Have we to copy and imitate all the evils that are prevalent in the West? Drinking leads to promiscuity both among the rich and the poor and to theft and evils like bribery among the poor and lower middle class people to meet their evil needs.
Should nothing be done to check the evil habit of drinking? Is the revenue of Rs. 1000 crore (quite considerable amount) more important than the flow of morality and prosperity among the people " If revenue is more important than human health and morality we earn it by legalizing and taxing flesh trade and brothels too. Male brothels are actually licensed in the USA and homosexual marriages are legally allowed. But it has resulted in an epidemic of AIDS—that killing; are we not going to learn any lessons from these trends of materialism and promiscuity in the USA and the West. A report concluded that AIDS is spreading like a wild fire in India. Most of the victims are those who visit pubs and then the red light area of prostitutes.
It has been experienced that in India the implementation, even of a good law becomes costly and difficult. The implementation of prohibition too cost the government a lot without any results.
Moreover in a country where child labor is ultimately legalized because it could not be checked what one can expect from the government. Concerted efforts will have to be made by individuals and voluntary organizations to dissuade people from the habit of not only drinking but other addictions too. Tamil Nadu government deserves praise for its prohibition posture. Let other states too follow it.
It is a well-known fact that liquor trade is backed by smugglers in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu with the help of toughs and Mafias. Smugglers overtly are respected citizens having close connections with high ups in politics.
Thus nothing could be done by the Delhi Administration even after a full knowledge of the firm of Ghaziabad (in U.P ) that sold illicit liquor under an Ayurvedic name causing death of hundreds of people. The reaction of the intelligentsia is that the price of licensed liquor should be brought down to be in the reach of the poor – a poor reflection on the problem.
On the other hand we have the example of Monody a village of 3000 on the slopes of Kodassery hills of Kerala. It was one of the biggest centers of brewing Charayam (hooch) in rural Kerala, -"of the 500 families depended on the trade.
Kaitharath a middle aged ran with the help of his young associates began anti-alcoholism drive in -S4. They had to suffer at the hands of the toughs of the producers, policemen and excise inspectors. But their firmness brought all political parties to support them. Production and drinking of Charayam was totally eradicated from the village by August 1991.
Thanks to Kaitharath that he as opened a glowing path for all the young men in the country to root out the evil. The lead of Kerala village was taken up in some villages in Himachal Pradesh and U.P. in 1995. Village women demolished the brewing apparatus. Since 30% of the members of the Panchayats are women in the whole country such steps may be taken up by housewives everywhere in the rural area—a good omen. Prohibition came back to Haryana in 1996 after a stern step taken by rural housewives.
Of late the evil has taken a strange turn. Thousands of new shops of foreign wine have been opened in different cities of the country. The government gave preference to freedom fighters to have the licenses— rather a shameful act. Many of the freedom fighters who had sit on dharma before wine shops took licenses. Others took these in their names. Who will now inspire the youth of the country to remain away from this poison.
Wakeup call for today's youth!! Be Alert folks...
There is hardly a religion which has not discarded the habit of drinking. The Hindu saints have always been against it. In the Bible there are more ±an 150 references about this evil habit.
In the thirties, Christian missionaries in India had taken prohibition as a programme for their social propaganda throughout the country. Prophet Mohammad was deadly against it. He considered every berry of grapes the abode of devil.
The rejection of the habit of drinking was not limited to religious preachers alone, it was taken up by many writers and social workers even in Europe. George Bernard Shaw did not propagate only vegetarianism, he considered a drunkard a second rate citizen. It captured the fancy of Mr. Gorbachev the last President and the Secretary of the Communist Party of the former USSR who stopped the serving of Vodka in party meetings. Soft drinks replaced wine in his regime.
In India it was realized by Mahatma Gandhi that the habit of drinking armful for the poor. On the one hand it affects the health of the people; in the other it brings havoc to the family of the drunkard. As most of the poor is spent on drinking, the family members starve. The children are deprived of all that they should enjoy in their childhood. The drunkard indulges in all sorts of evil acts of sex and violence. It sometimes leads to murders committed by the drunkard and to suicide committed by new wives.
The Britishers were not interested in improving the condition of the poor. As drinking was a part of their culture in India they did not worry about it. But the early politicians were a breed of moralists. As soon as congress ministries were formed in seven provinces (now States) efforts ere made to impose prohibition. It met with great success.
In 1939 Indian National Congress passed a resolution to enforce prohibition in the country. On January 26, 1950 it was included in the directive principles of the Indian Constitution.
Immediately after independence, as promised by the Congress, prohibition was fully introduced in nine states as a time phased programme. Some moralist leaders like C. Rajgopalachari, Vinoba Bhave, U. N. Dhebar and Shriman Narain who were not in the government put a pressure upon the government to make prohibition a real success. From 1946 to 1956 it was a great success. But the implementation after 1958 was very poor. Bombay became a great centre of bootlegging (illegal trade in wine). The malady spread throughout the country. The enthusiasm of different state governments was also dampened.
Ultimately, in the third five year plan, it was taken as a social welfare movement. A committee was formed headed by Justice Tek Chand, a great protagonist of prohibition. The Committee made many recommendations and many times dates were fixed for complete prohibition in the country, the last being Gandhi centenary i.e. 2nd of October, 1969. But a reverse trend had already started in early sixties. Uttar Pradesh gave a lead to anti- prohibition move. It spread like a wild fire and gradually prohibition was scrapped in almost all the States. Gujarat was an exception. But, as it is said, anything that is prohibited has more temptation. Porbandar, the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi became the biggest centre of bootlegging in Gujarat. Ultimately in the eighties Gujarat too relaxed the prohibition law.
Besides the drinking lobby in the country which included many bureaucrats, businessmen and politicians prohibition was opposed by a sizable number of economists too. They were and are of the opinion that liquor is a big source of revenue to the State Governments and the Central Government too.
In the seventies prohibition meant a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs. 200 crore. As drinking is an addiction, the drunkard is ready to pay any price. Thus it tempted the State Governments to increase the quantum of different taxes. By a rough estimate prohibition would have cost the exchequer (Government Treasury) a loss of Rs. 1000 crore in the eighties.
According to an article written by Shri L. C. Jain, a former member of Planning Commission and published by a national daily on 26th of August, 1995 "For the entire country, government revenue from liquor is estimated at Rs. 10,000 crore, implying an expenditure of Rs. 50,000 crore a year by household on liquor consumption". Thus to gain Rs. 10,000 crore the nation has to spend Rs. 50,000 crore—a net loss of Rs. 40,000 crore to the nation. The Government has been tempted to net this amount of Rs. 10,000 crore.
Although a drunkard under Indian Criminal Code can be sued in court if he creates a nuisance at a public place, drinking became legalized by scrapping prohibition. The directive principle of the constitution was buried under the so called economic pragmatism.
With all this pragmatism the question still remains unanswered should there be no restriction on the evil of drinking in a country like India which has a tropical climate and where at least 50% of the people are bare below poverty line? Have we to copy and imitate all the evils that are prevalent in the West? Drinking leads to promiscuity both among the rich and the poor and to theft and evils like bribery among the poor and lower middle class people to meet their evil needs.
Should nothing be done to check the evil habit of drinking? Is the revenue of Rs. 1000 crore (quite considerable amount) more important than the flow of morality and prosperity among the people " If revenue is more important than human health and morality we earn it by legalizing and taxing flesh trade and brothels too. Male brothels are actually licensed in the USA and homosexual marriages are legally allowed. But it has resulted in an epidemic of AIDS—that killing; are we not going to learn any lessons from these trends of materialism and promiscuity in the USA and the West. A report concluded that AIDS is spreading like a wild fire in India. Most of the victims are those who visit pubs and then the red light area of prostitutes.
It has been experienced that in India the implementation, even of a good law becomes costly and difficult. The implementation of prohibition too cost the government a lot without any results.
Moreover in a country where child labor is ultimately legalized because it could not be checked what one can expect from the government. Concerted efforts will have to be made by individuals and voluntary organizations to dissuade people from the habit of not only drinking but other addictions too. Tamil Nadu government deserves praise for its prohibition posture. Let other states too follow it.
It is a well-known fact that liquor trade is backed by smugglers in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu with the help of toughs and Mafias. Smugglers overtly are respected citizens having close connections with high ups in politics.
Thus nothing could be done by the Delhi Administration even after a full knowledge of the firm of Ghaziabad (in U.P ) that sold illicit liquor under an Ayurvedic name causing death of hundreds of people. The reaction of the intelligentsia is that the price of licensed liquor should be brought down to be in the reach of the poor – a poor reflection on the problem.
On the other hand we have the example of Monody a village of 3000 on the slopes of Kodassery hills of Kerala. It was one of the biggest centers of brewing Charayam (hooch) in rural Kerala, -"of the 500 families depended on the trade.
Kaitharath a middle aged ran with the help of his young associates began anti-alcoholism drive in -S4. They had to suffer at the hands of the toughs of the producers, policemen and excise inspectors. But their firmness brought all political parties to support them. Production and drinking of Charayam was totally eradicated from the village by August 1991.
Thanks to Kaitharath that he as opened a glowing path for all the young men in the country to root out the evil. The lead of Kerala village was taken up in some villages in Himachal Pradesh and U.P. in 1995. Village women demolished the brewing apparatus. Since 30% of the members of the Panchayats are women in the whole country such steps may be taken up by housewives everywhere in the rural area—a good omen. Prohibition came back to Haryana in 1996 after a stern step taken by rural housewives.
Of late the evil has taken a strange turn. Thousands of new shops of foreign wine have been opened in different cities of the country. The government gave preference to freedom fighters to have the licenses— rather a shameful act. Many of the freedom fighters who had sit on dharma before wine shops took licenses. Others took these in their names. Who will now inspire the youth of the country to remain away from this poison.
Wakeup call for today's youth!! Be Alert folks...
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