The lovely tale of Liquor
during Lockdown and before
At every stage, addiction is driven by one of the most powerful, mysterious, and
vital forces of human existence. What drives addiction is longing —
a longing not just of brain, belly, or loins but finally of the heart.
Cornelius Platinga
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The use of alcohol in India for drinking purposes dates back to somewhere between 3000 and 2000 BC. An alcoholic beverage called Sura which was distilled from the rice was popular at that time in India for common men to unwind at the end of a stressful day. . Yet the first mention of Alcohol appears in Rig Veda (1700BC). It mentions intoxicants like soma and prahamana. Although the soma plant might not exist today, it was famous for delivering a euphoric high. It was also recorded in the Samhita, the medical compendium of Sushruta that he who drinks soma will not age and will be impervious to fire, poison, or weapon attack. The sweet juice of Soma was also said to help establish a connection with the gods. Such was the popularity of alcohol. Initially used for medicinal purposes, with time it evolved and became the beverage that brought life to social gatherings, and eventually consuming alcohol has become a habit for many.
With such a rich history of not just humans but also of the gods,
what is a worldwide pandemic to stop anybody from drinking?
. . .
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According to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2018, an average Indian drinks approximately 5.7 liters of alcohol every year. In a population of casual and excessive drinkers, with the shutters of liquor stores down, it must have been extremely difficult for “certain” people to survive lockdown. In the first two phases of lockdown, the desperation had quadrupled prices of alcohol in the Grey Market of India. Also, According to Google Trends, online searches for “how to make alcohol at home” peaked in India during the fourth week of March, which was the same when the lockdown was announced. As a consequence, a few people died drinking home-brewed liquor. People committed suicide due to alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Owing to the worsening situation and to reboot the economy, some states decided to open licensed liquor stores in the third phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown in India. This decision was the worst best decision the state governments could take. The kilometer-long queues in front of liquor stores were evidence that a pandemic can turn your life upside down yet your relationship with alcohol cannot move an inch.
The love in the hearts of those who are addicted was explicit. We might have seen addiction, we might have witnessed desperation but what happened in the month of May was madness, not just in terms of the way people pounced but also in the way the government earned. According to a report by Hindustan Times, on the first day of the third phase of Lockdown, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh recorded a sale of over Rs 100 Crore from liquor. On the second day of the reopening of Liquor stores, Karnataka reported sales of 197 crores in a single day which was the largest ever. Eventually, the prices of Liquor were hiked to 100% to discourage people from drinking.
. . .
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There was a special corona fee that was imposed in Delhi by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A 70% corona fee was imposed in Delhi, yet the sales did not drop. The entire situation was a disaster for the law enforcement officers, social distancing was easily abandoned and a basic code of conduct was happily violated. Despite the chaos created, the states continued to collect revenues. Home delivery of alcohol was allowed in Maharashtra and e-tokens were sold in Delhi.
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Demand for liquor is inelastic which means that
the sale of alcohol is not much responsive to change in prices.
In general, since alcohol policy is a state subject in India, revenue from Liquor is a cash cow for state governments. In 2018 and 2019, four states collectively collected about 20,000 crores in taxes from the sale of liquor. As much as the state earns from the sale of Liquor it is undoubtedly, a threat to the Economy. Consumption of alcohol has dire health consequences. When a person consumes an alcoholic beverage, there is a rise in BAC because of which there is a gradual and progressive loss of driving ability because of an increase in reaction time, overconfidence, degraded muscle coordination, impaired concentration, and decreased auditory and visual acuity. This is known as drunken driving. (V. M. Anantha Eashwar, 2020) Drunken driving is the third biggest cause of road accidents and over speeding in India. Road accidents are not it; alcoholism causes sleep problems, heart, and liver issues. Also, it is not about an individual’s life, it ruins the lives of all people concerned.
Addiction also causes economic loss. In 2000, Vivek Benegal and his team assessed 113 patients admitted to a special de-addiction service for alcohol dependence. They found that
the average individual earned a mean of ₹1,661 but
spent ₹1,938 per month on alcohol, incurring high debt.
They also found that 95% did not work for about 14 days in a month. They concluded that it led to a loss of ₹13,823 per person per year in terms of foregone productivity. A more recent study, Health Impact and Economic Burden of Alcohol Consumption in India, led by Gaurav Jyani, concluded that alcohol-attributable deaths would lead to a loss of 258 million life-years between 2011 and 2050. The study placed the economic burden on the health system at $48.11 billion, and the societal burden (including health costs, productivity loss, and so on) at $1,867 billion. “This amounts to an average loss of 1.45% of the gross domestic product (GDP) per year to the Indian economy,” the study said. (Mint, 2020)
Setho ka Gaon
With each passing day, the ‘curtain of separation’ weighs down on the women of Afghanistan, paving the way for tyranny to thrive.
Arth
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Placement Talk 2021
As part of the mentorship sessions planned for this year, the student body council of our department organized a panel discussion on various aspects of placement procedures titled ‘Placement Talks’. The panel comprised of six students from the Batch of 2021, namely Isha, Lavanya, Ayush, Aditya, Ojas and Vamika. They shared their experience and learnings, which helped them secure placements in well-reputed firms. The final year in an undergraduate course brings a certain degree of gravity in the atmosphere, abuzz with wide-ranged discussions from placements to future plans to bewilderment and even uncertainty for some. Over the course of two hours, various topics were raised and questions addressed, which made participants more aware of the nuances underlying the entire process, that is, placements.
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After sharing their reasons for preferring placements over other alternatives, they moved on to discuss some basics which must be kept in mind before applying for placements. Firstly, the earlier one applies, the better since they get a chance to choose from a bigger pool of companies. Other prerequisites include having their priorities set in terms of the profile they want to work under, be it consulting or finance. Thorough research of the company they are interviewing for and finding their distinguishing factor is necessary (Glassdoor is a platform that comes in handy here). Know thyself, trying to identify their weakness and strengths, what is it they bring to the organization that adds value to its work is also something they reflected on. Acquiring technical knowledge of the job profile they applied for is also something that proves advantageous.
Each company has a different set of stages underlying the recruitment process. They may include aptitude and attitude tests, psychometric analysis, guestimates, group discussions and even HR and technical rounds. Given the prevailing online mode of operations, video interviews that try to encapsulate one’s resume into a short video are also a novel experience for many. While it may be awkward for some, trying to make the best out of their time by making it interesting and talking more about their interests has helped our panellists to elevate their videos. While online mode prevents physical interaction with recruiters, some may feel that lack of company during the entire process tends to be lonesome. Online mode also provides recruiters with the liberty to conduct multiple rounds, which may not always be possible during campus placements. Also, having a LinkedIn presence might prove useful since few firms ask applicants to share their profile which may be considered the 1st screening. The online mode also brings us to a minute yet significant point of not losing out on opportunities due to technical reasons. Making sure one’s device is compatible with the platforms being used, proper functioning of camera and microphone must be checked beforehand.
Some tips that were shared include choosing a job profile that suits the applicants’ best interest or something that they might be interested in, not falling prey to peer pressure and brand reputation, working in a company whose work profile, environment, and goal align with their mindset is the way to go. Having completed internships matching their job profiles acts as a positive reinforcer that strengthens one’s application, drawing parallels from prior experience and using it in the interview and sets one’s answers apart from others. Tangible skills and projects one may have worked on also add to their knowledge here. In case one doesn’t have internships backing their applications, fear not as analytical skills often prove superior to prior experience.
Other tips that may be useful are to go in every interview with an open mind, not being demotivated by one’s mistakes, learn from them and try putting forward one’s best foot at every stage, keeping preconceived notions aside and taking a fresh look at things also improve chances for a better interview performance. Categorizing companies and looking only for specific roles may hinder one from applying to different companies with diverse roles. Knowing basic aspects of the subject one pursues a degree in is something that is expected of them. Consistency in one’s personality and the application are things that go hand in hand. Even during the interview, trying to display an eagerness to learn, and asking questions towards the end, even requesting feedback if company policy permits and using constructive criticism to introspect and reflect on one’s shortcomings is advised.
A question-and-answer session followed this fruitful discussion. Finally, Jai Sharma, President, conveyed a vote of thanks to the panellists for sparing time and providing valuable insights to all participants.