Southern States - Kerala

Gandhian spirit vs. liquor spirit

By R. Ramabhadran Pillai

KOCHI APRil 27. Gandhiji lives in the spirit of a handful of people in a corner of Kochi city. The Father of the Nation had proved that the power of Satyagraha could surpass all calculations. This lesson is apparently providing unceasing inspiration to the group of anti-liquor activists in Vaduthala. It is 270 days since the group consisting of youth and elder people started their peaceful agitation in a small tent raised in front of a newly opened liquor sales depot of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation.

Everyday evening, the activists assemble at the tent and watch people queuing up before the liquor outlet, giving away their hard-earned money for a bottle of whiskey or brandy. Many of those customers are their friends, neighbours or acquaintances, but the lure of liquor makes them blind to these associations.

The activists are not just aiming at persuading the crowd to move away from alcohol, but are determined to prove a point. They say that the shop is situated within 200 metres vicinity of a temple and a church, thus violating a legal restriction. Formal legal proceedings have already been initiated in order to prove it even as the satagraha goes on.

Will there be any impact in the minds of people attracted to alcohol just because a few people resort to an agitation? The answer holds little optimism, but it is no deterrent to the unfazed attitude of the satyagrahis. ``We are engaged in propagating a worthy cause. The success rate does not worry us,'' says Geevarghese Master, one of the activists. Instead, what they are really worried is the amount of money being spent by heads of families on liquor. ``There are daughters of marriageable age in many of their homes.

We only hope that they realise the worth of their money,'' mutters Aleyamma, a 70-year-old activist.

Every day, the shop gets a revenue of Rs. 1 lakh on an average. There are three small islands adjacent to Vaduthala where the womenfolk had ensured to remain toddy-free after much effort.

Now, with the liquor available at close quarters, many of the people who had stopped drinking have revived the habit, says the Master.

When liquor is in your reach, the tendency to drink is more. As the agitation progresses, there is none to initiate a quarrel with the boozers.

The agitation is a quiet affair altogether, in true Gandhian style.

Once there was a small commotion when the activists lodged a complaint against sale of more than two bottles to one individual, which is again forbidden as per the law.

The police registered a case, but nothing much happened thereafter, says one of the activists.

Whether the agitation will meet a successful end or not, there is little doubt about the victory of the underlying spirit of Gandhism that runs deep in their veins.

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