The need for Prohibition

During this entire lock down, Tasmac outlets have also been shut and all our Kudimagans are forced not to drink. In a sense, total prohibition has been forced upon our society and its quiet surprising how the majority of the habitual drinkers are managing nearly one month of abstinence. This natural experiment has provided an excellent opportunity to study the impact of prohibition and it has also given the courage to think about implementing total prohibition in our state. 

It has been unequivocally proved by many studies that a generation of youth has been affected by alcoholism which has been brought to the doorstep of every household by Tasmac. Many families have been ruined by alcoholism and there is 100% consensus that it is a social evil which needs to be eradicated. Our society has still not reached a stage where people will drink responsibly. By drinking responsibly, I mean drinking occasionally or otherwise but not at the expense of one's health and family well being. I doubt if that it also required.

Though there are many concerns regarding the implementation of total prohibition, the primary concern revolves around “economics’-the huge revenue loss prohibition will entail. This raises some philosophical questions: Should a desirable social reform be scuttled or delayed for monetary reasons? Isn’t the society’s moral capital more important than physical or economic capital? 

A slightly deeper analysis would bring things in the right perspective. Agreed, the Tasmac brings in huge revenue (more than 20,000 crores). But the key question is at what cost? Consider the health expenses the state incurs for treating all alcohol related illnesses-from gastritis, neurological disorders, cardiac diseases, diabetes to chronic liver failure, liver cirrhosis, carcinoma etc etc. Visit any government hospitals and one can find numerous alcohol related in-patients. The medical cost, cost of medical man power and the cost of health infrastructure arevery huge. Also alcohol causes numerous days of absenteeism (loss of man-days), resulting in reduction in state GDP and the resultant loss of tax revenue to the state. Further, the opportunity cost of money spent on treating alcohol related diseases is huge-if the amount spent on alcohol is used for productive consumption like healthy food for family, better schooling expenses for children or household consumer goods, the resultant gain in human capital and GDP & tax revenues would be much more. Hence the proposition that prohibition would lead to revenue loss to the state is very superfluous and is not proved. In the long run, prohibition can be atleast revenue neutral if not leading to more revenue.

I spoke to many people ( friends, relatives and contacts in rural areas)  who didn’t, rather couldn’t take liquor for almost 40 days. Almost all said that they were slowly getting used to prohibition and most felt that only if the shops are open they are getting the feeling to drink; otherwise they eat early and sleep off. One peculiar and interesting fact among drinkers is that when 4 or 5 friends go to the Tasmac shop, most of the times, one person pays for all the 4-5 persons one day and next day another person pays. Since everybody has to complete their turn of buying for others, the cycle goes on and becomes non-stop. In the end, most felt that it is better to leave the shops closed as it not only results in daily savings but also they are spending quality time with the family members.

TN people especially women never thought that prohibition was possible in the state. Both the two key political parties promised to bring in Prohibition in their election manifesto for 2016 elections. But people were not enthused much and it didn’t become a key election issue. However the situation now is different-people have seen “total prohibition” forcibly implemented in the state, thanks to Corona, and also have seen its positive spin offs. The women especially have got a hope, first time in their life, that prohibition could indeed be implemented in the state. They should not be let down and their hopes should be built upon. More than ever, People may now be ready to accept prohibition  Every crisis is an opportunity and we should never waste one. Its time all the political parties genuinely try to implement prohibition in the state instead of giving mere lip service and that will definitely take the state in the path of development. 

The economies of Prohibition

During this entire lock down, Tasmac outlets have also been shut and all our Kudimagans are forced not to drink. In a sense, total prohibition has been forced upon our society and its quiet surprising how the majority of the habitual drinkers are managing nearly one month of abstinence. This natural experiment has provided an excellent opportunity to study the impact of prohibition and it has also given the courage to think about implementing total prohibition in our state. 

It has been unequivocally proved by many studies that a generation of youth has been affected by alcoholism which has been brought to the doorstep of every household by Tasmac. Many families have been ruined by alcoholism and there is 100% consensus that it is a social evil which needs to be eradicated. Our society has still not reached a stage where people will drink responsibly. By drinking responsibly, I mean drinking occasionally or otherwise but not at the expense of one's health and family well being. I doubt if that it also required.

Though there are many concerns regarding the implementation of total prohibition, the primary concern revolves around “economics’-the huge revenue loss prohibition will entail. This raises some philosophical questions: Should a desirable social reform be scuttled or delayed for monetary reasons? Isn’t the society’s moral capital more important than physical or economic capital? 

A slightly deeper analysis would bring things in the right perspective. Agreed, the Tasmac brings in huge revenue (more than 20,000 crores). But the key question is at what cost? Consider the health expenses the state incurs for treating all alcohol related illnesses-from gastritis, neurological disorders, cardiac diseases, diabetes to chronic liver failure, liver cirrhosis, carcinoma etc etc. Visit any government hospitals and one can find numerous alcohol related in-patients. The medical cost, cost of medical man power and the cost of health infrastructure arevery huge. Also alcohol causes numerous days of absenteeism (loss of man-days), resulting in reduction in state GDP and the resultant loss of tax revenue to the state. Further, the opportunity cost of money spent on treating alcohol related diseases is huge-if the amount spent on alcohol is used for productive consumption like healthy food for family, better schooling expenses for children or household consumer goods, the resultant gain in human capital and GDP & tax revenues would be much more. Hence the proposition that prohibition would lead to revenue loss to the state is very superfluous and is not proved. In the long run, prohibition can be atleast revenue neutral if not leading to more revenue.

Those opposing prohibition argue that the primary justification for not imposing prohibition is the lack of any suitable method for a sustained implementation of prohibition. Their point is that even if there is sufficient political will, prohibition requires huge and continued bureaucratic time and energy which will be a drain on the scarce human resources and also the initial zeal is bound to get diluted within the initial few years leading to corruption and chaos. They also cite that even in states like Gujarat and Bihar, which have implemented prohibition, it is not too difficult to get liquor in black market. Further even within this limited duration of lock down there have been numerous instances of manufacture of spurious liquor which is not only difficult to control but also very dangerous. In sum their point is that if a law is difficult to implement, its better not to have it in first place. 

What is the take away? Its nothing but the respite that we are saved from a moral tangle- we are not letting a social reform to be held hostage only for economical reasons. So should we remain idle after reinforcing our pledge to find a fool proof strategy which is both effective and efficient, to enforce prohibition? 

The answer is a definite "No". It is my strong opinion that alcoholism is one of the most important social evils which directly affects the social and economic progress of millions of poor Indians. There can be no excuse for not generating sufficient political will to eradicate this. A true leader is not one who searches for excuses; a true leader is one who who has a genuine concern for the poor and political will to what is good for the people and society even at the cost of his political capital- political will-if not for prohibition, then for what? 

Tackling communalism

One of the key strength of India is its multi cultural ethos and secular fabric. However its secular ethos have been/are being threatened by communal forces which try to inculcate and foster feelings from distaste/dislike to ill will and hatred against members of a different religious denomination. Time and again we have seen the menace of communalism rearing in its head in its most ugliest forms. Even during times of inter religious peace, one fears to believe that the monster of communalism is not destroyed but is always there festering just beneath the surface ready to erupt at the slightest provocation. That even efforts of great leaders like Mahatma Gandhiji could'nt find a lasting solution to this problem tells us that there is something fundamentally wrong in our methods which we have not addressed till date. Is there a way out?  

It is worthwhile to understand how these dislikes and hatred for other religions arise. Psychologically these feelings are only outward expressions/manifestations our inner "Prejudices". Prejudice refers to preconceived opinion or belief that members of a particular group will behave in a certain fashion irrespective of his/her individual nature. In other words it refers to negative attitude towards some people for the mere reason that they belong to a particular group or denomination. These prejudices are not based on logic, reason or experience and are predominantly learnt by a process known as "social learning" by way of  observing the behaviors of "significant others" vis parents, relatives, peers etc. More pertinent to our current discussion is the fact that this social learning takes root early in our early childhood which gets strengthened over time due to positive reinforcements received from the parents and others for displaying the desired ( ie prejudiced) attitude. So any effort to tackle communalism should factor-in this basic concept. 

The best way to tackle a problem is not to avoid it or be defensive about it but to face it head on. Wrong notions about religion should not be tackled by attempting to  suppressing them but rather we should attempt to replace them with the right notions. So I am of the opinion that its high time we include "Religion"  in our curriculum. Presently we do learn about religion indirectly as part of history but not as a proper discipline. We need to include teachings of all the religions, their scriptures and the teachings of their gurus. Children should also be taken to the places of worship of all religions to expose them to their distinct customs and practices. The idea does not call for a thorough or complete teaching in all religious scriptures to make them religious scholars but to expose and educate children about the key and salient principles of all religions of this world. Psychologically one of the reasons for aversion for a particular object is foreigness or non-exposure. So mere exposure to the customs and practices of all religions will have a significant effect on the overall perception of children. Not to mention that children should also be exposed to atheist concepts and other view points. By this exercise children will get an overall perspective which will make them accept the customs and practices of others and will slowly make them realise the truth that all religions preach one and the same thing and that the esssence of all religions is to promote indivdual and social harmony. In sum we should aim to intellectually equip our children to handle hate messages/propaganda of some vested interests and not be misguided by them.   

We are at challenging times. It is a sad reality that communal feelings are so deeply engrained that for some people even the sight of members of other religious communities elicits feeling of uneasiness. This is a war of perception and learning and hence unless we intervene at the childhood stage and tackle the issue at its roots the we may end up being mere witnesses to the whims and fancies of vested interests exploiting our inner prejudices to the detriment of our collective peace and well being. Think, act and change.

Think & let us change ourselves

Interesting story to ponder over.
 For   better   living,  we   must   change  our   attitude  &   actions  instead   of   complaining   others.

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would need thousands of cows' skin, and would cost a huge amount of money.

Then one of his wise servant dared himself to tell the king, "Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money ? Why don't you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet ?"

The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a "shoe" for himself.

There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story : to make this world a happy place to live,we better change ourselves- our heart; and not the world.

Why Rajni is Rajni?

The latest Kabali teaser with 17.2 Million hits has become the most viewed film teaser in the Indian film history. What makes him what he is? Everybody acts. There are a lot of good actors in India who act much better than him. But there is something in Rajni which is not there in any body else-his style. There is a subtle style in what ever he does. In Baasha his swish of the fingers was iconic. Also his gentle pull of his overcoat to the sides does'nt involve any huge effort or gadgets or costumes, but only his ingenuity and imagination but was very eye catching. Actors have been wearing cooling glasses right from the beginning but it is his unique quality for doing everything in style made him to invent his trademark coolers wearing style. Even at the age of 65, he effortlessly recreates his magic in his inimitable stlyle in the kabali teaser making it watchable again and again.

Election reforms: Should freebies be banned?

The Election Commission has deployed huge infrastructure to prevent cash distribution to voters and we, the officers in the field are trying our best to match the commission's expectations. But the biggest inducements are freebies in the election manifesto. What started as a promise of cheap rice to the poor, the culture of freebies has reached mad propositions with the promise of free T.V, mixer, grinder, fan and now subsidised scooter and even free washing machine that too without any targeting for the poor. One is really scared to think what will be promised in the next elections. But can freebies be banned by the Commission? A popularly elected government has the mandate to provide freebies to the people based on the needs and circumstances of the time. A welfare state is what is needed. But at the same time promises of freebies in the election manifesto, one may argue that, fall within the ambit of bribe or inducement to the voters. How to balance the two? What if the commission rules that governments are free to give freebies on coming to power , but no party can promise freebies in election manifesto? 

Think, act and change.

You can support

This summer is extremely unkind. My face could feel the extreme heat within a fraction of a second  I lowered the glass of my A/C car to ask for an address from a passerby. I was literally cursing the heat, when I saw numerous women in their fifties and sixties sitting on the sides of the road selling cucumbers, tender coconuts, watermelons etc. I couldnt help but feel appalled at their plight sitting under hot sun, covering their head with a fold of their old cotton sarees and gesturing with their hands to each passing vehicles to buy their goods. It was afternoon 2.30 and one cannot miss seeing anxiety in their face to sell their entire goods within the evening. For  them it is an everyday struggle to meet the ends of their livelihood.

All of us who are in a better position in the society can make a difference in their lives with a simple change  in our attitude. We can and we need to support the people mentioned above who have opted not to beg but dared to live with dignity by trying to stand in their own legs. I am not asking to buy each and everything which is sold in the road side, but atleast we can buy cucumbers, tender coconuts, watermelons etc which are actually good for our health. It will cost only a fraction of the cost we spend for our movie tickets and pop-corns,but it could make all the difference in their life. By this we also contribute to the eradication of poverty in our country. They are after-all our mothers, sisters, brothers and fathers. Think, act & Change.