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
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?
. . .
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.
. . .
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.
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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WHO'S WHO
2019 -20
President Abhyudai Pratap
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LATEST UPDATES
SPEAKER SESSION BY PROFESSOR DEEPANKAR BASU
A productive beginning of yet another academic year was witnessed on July 24, 2018 with an edifying session being conducted by Prof. Deepankar Basu. Mr. Basu who is currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst presented a talk on the theme – Finance and Fictitious Capital. An author of about twenty books on economics, Prof. Basu’s present research interests include Marxian political economy and empirical macroeconomics. In spite of his profound and exhaustive knowledge of the subject, his effortless manner of presentation made it quite easy for the students; especially the first years’ to comprehend such a dense issue. The speaker session continued for around an hour precisely covering numerous affairs regarding the origin of fictitious capital in the development of credit and joint-stock system. It was then followed by an interaction round with the faculty and students; thus quenching their inquisitiveness. Lastly a vote of thanks was being proposed to the orator by our Economics department head and a sapling was being rewarded to him as a souvenir. On the whole, a much better start wasn’t possible for the economic enthusiasts of Hindu college.
A major breakthrough witnessed by the Economics department of Hindu College in this academic year is the launch of its’ very own Department website – www.econhindu.com. The “Eco dept.” which is known for standing on the forefront for every challenge thus advanced another essential step by creating its’ exclusive niche in the digital media as well. The official website not only comprises of data related to the upcoming fests & events and the timetable of all three years of the department but also provides a record of the faculty details and contacts; thus building a bridge between them and the students. Moreover, it also consists of a section encompassing the feedbacks given by the much – experienced seniors on the appropriate selection of the Generic Elective (GE) subjects. This initiative has thus in a real sense been helpful to the students especially the first years’ to make the rightful choice. Apart from that, an online record of attendance of the students of all the three years would also be maintained very soon. Thus, there is no end to working hard for the Hinduites who always strive for the better.
DEPARTMENT LIBRARY
Ernest Hemingway once stated that “there is no friend as loyal as a book”. Abiding by what he said the Economics department of Hindu college made its’ another leap forward by enlarging and revamping its’ already existing library. The department which has a long renowned tradition of promoting research thus focused on bringing a proper blend of ‘quality’ and ‘relevance’ through this new initiative. Consisting of more than three hundred books in the field of economics and allied disciplines, the department library is a house to some of the most legendary recognized Indian and foreign authors like Amartya Sen, Kaushik Basu, Arvind Panagariya, B.R. Shenoy, Carl Menger, Ragnar Frisch, Richard Layard,etc.Hence, this move has made an attempt to strengthen the knowledge base of the students; not only in their own domain but in the other spheres of world as well by making the work of these authors accessible to them.
With bells of fests ringing all round the Delhi University, Hindu college’s economics department stood nowhere behind. Bigger, better and unique every year, the subsequent edition of L’economiste i.e. the annual economics fest was finally unveiled on February 8, 2019.
Hindu College has been ranked second in the 2019 HRD Rankings, with St Stephens college, Lady Sri Ram College for Women, Shri Ram College of Commerce and Hansraj College bagging the fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth ranks respectively.