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.
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“College inspired me to think differently. It's like no other time in your life."
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I still remember my first day at Hindu. I entered with a certain amount of fear and anxiety but I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the seniors who immediately put me at ease. I looked around in amazement at the beautiful buildings in a sprawling 25-acre campus which was more than a hundred years old. I quickly settled down and Hindu began to feel like home. The morning metro rides, the auto bhaiyyas, running to class to be on time for the 8:50 lecture, going to PAM and the canteen between classes, hanging out at the acad block and using the chor gali to go to Kamla Nagar, are some of the many memories that will stay with me forever.
I was a regular student and always maintained my attendance, did assignments on time, studied hard and scored well. Ever since I was in the first year, I wanted to go abroad for my masters to one of the top universities. In order to achieve this, I maintained a high CGPA and took Statistics as my GE in all four semesters as this is considered a plus point by many international universities.
Along with academics, I was busy with the NSS Education wing and as an Executive Officer, made regular visits to Gandhi Aashram. I was also a key participant of L’Economiste, the economics fest, in all three years at Hindu. I loved the speaker sessions with eminent personalities from important walks of life. The freshers and farewell never disappointed and brought us together as a department. Hindu was always buzzing with activity with something for everyone to do. Witnessing Mecca and other north campus college fests was a life changing experience. As a senior with three years’ experience in north campus, I can assure you that there is never a dull moment and you should not miss any of the activities that happen throughout the year, and especially during the fest season.
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The department of Economics of Hindu is highly ranked both in India and abroad. The course curriculum is up to date and very relevant for a master’s program in economics. It provides a solid base in econometrics and other quantitative subjects, providing an upper edge while studying for an intensive master’s degree. The faculty is well qualified and extremely helpful, always ready to solve your queries and go the extra mile. The diverse student body is an asset to the college and provides an intellectually stimulating environment in which we can learn and grow. We learn to appreciate different points of view and respect varied backgrounds. The annual department trip is the highlight of the year and a great way to bond with classmates, seniors and juniors, an experience not to be missed.
It is important to build your portfolio by adding things of value such as internships, extra courses and programming or data science skills. Hindu provides the right resources for internships and other such valuable additions to your profile. As a part of the application process for a master’s in Economics, I started preparing for the GRE and IELTS at the beginning of the third year. The next steps were to write a Statement of Purpose and request for Letters of Recommendation, and start filling out the application forms which generally open in October. It is better to submit the applications by Christmas and not wait till the next year. Another very important step is to shortlist the universities according to your liking and profile.
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In August 2019, I left for London to join the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) for an MSc in Economics. It was a whole new experience of living by myself, as cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, buying groceries, etc. became as important as studying. The academic pace at LSE was grueling and a big shift from what I was used to at Hindu. On a typical day, my classes would start at 9:30 am and go on till 2pm, followed by tutorials and skill enhancement sessions (software tools like R and Stata) till as late as 8pm on certain days. Lectures had to be followed by self-study to attempt the weekly assignments. Some courses required group paper presentations as a part of the evaluation. To ease the academic pressure, the department organized fun activities like bowling nights, karaoke nights, Student Union events, Diwali night and an exclusive Christmas party. LSE is in the heart of Central London and is always buzzing with people at all times. It’s a great place to walk around and discover the city and try different cuisines. An important part of the MSc is the dissertation which has a high weightage in the evaluation and is challenging for anyone who has not written an academic paper before. My experience at LSE and London helped to shape my personality, grow as an individual and push myself to work harder.
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Currently, I am back in Delhi and am working with ICRIER (Indian Council for Research in International Economic Relations), one of India’s leading economic think tanks which provides a strong economic basis for policy making.
I have been fortunate to have Hindu as a part of my journey and I have made friends who will always be close to my heart. I am still in touch with many of my professors who continue to help and advice whenever I feel the need. I will always cherish the three years that I spent at Hindu which helped me transition from an unsure school student into a mature and confident young adult. I feel that I have a lot more to achieve and that my journey has just started. I am proud to be a part of this institution and I hope that I can take it to greater heights.