From 2003 onwards, sale of alcoholic drinks in Tamil Nadu is the monopoly of the state government. The agency in charge is called Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (Tasmac) and alcoholic drinks are sold exclusively through Tasmac outlets (unless one goes to a licensed pub).
Having been to a few Tasmac outlets, I found them totally disgusting. The floors were wet with liquor and God knows what else. Men drinking inside and behaving in an uncivilised manner. And the only liquors you get in TN now are those made in TN. If you want beer, your choices are limited - Kingfisher (thankfully), Haywards 5000, Vorion 6000, Knockout - the latter three being beer beefed up with extra alcohol, for a better "kick". And the kind of IMFL thats available there is third rate, almost like arrack.
Forget wine or champagne that people up the social ladder like to indulge in. While the Indian wine market is exploding, and Indian brands like Grovers and Sula are getting recognised abroad, it is a crying shame that one cannot get them in TN. The only good wines available in TN are imported ones at some star hotels for outrageous prices. And for New Years which I celebrated in Chennai, I had to buy a bottle of champagne from Bangalore and take it along with me, since I knew I cannot buy one in TN! As a wine lover, this is a strong reason for me to hate Chennai!
In Bangalore, you can buy good wine/spirits at outlets like Food World. I know many women who buy alcohol and not feel uncomfortable in doing so. However in TN, thanks to Tasmac, a woman who enters a Tasmac outlet faces a real danger of being molested, and has to depend on male friends to buy her alcohol. I don't think any sane woman would ever enter a Tasmac outlet.
In TN, the social atmosphere is such that people see drinking as "evil", period. There is no concept of social drinking, or drinking as a form of relaxation after a tiring working day. If people drink, it is to get high and behave in a drunken manner (as is evinced by the super potent beers like Knockout).
And the politicians are eager to capitalise on this. Tasmac is a cash cow. Even though it was formed during Jayalalitha's govt, the present DMK govt has no inclination of discontinuing its monopoly, since its a hen that lays golden eggs.
But this kind of negative thinking and govt policy are bound to take its toll. The IT industry has people with liberal attitudes in general. Also women make a large portion of it. This kind of women-unfriendly attitude is bound to make them leave for other cities like Bangalore which offer a better climate and choice of drinks for social drinking.
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3 comments:
well said. you are absolutely right in your assessment. the wine shops are in a terrible condition.
You are looking at the trees and missing the forest. Yes some upper class people maybe unable to get wine. But this concern is far outweighed by the horrendous effects of alcohol in Tamil Nadu and other states. As you said, the vast majority drink to get high. You can make the argument that they should become civilized and drink responsibly but that that is not the reality at present. We have to take India as it is, not as we wish it be. Alcohol in India is the equivalent of LSD or PCP in the west. It is totally abused rather used. If the alcohol is totally unregulated the effects would be horrendous. Wife beating and every other social ill would go out of control. I have worked with alcoholics and it is already a losing battle. Lifting the restrictions would destroy everything. If you can see the conditions of the lives affected by rampant alcoholism your heart would be moved and you would be depressed and feel powerless. Please I beg you please visit the poor families who have no husband or father because the man is living in these alcohol dens and children are dying of malnutrition and mothers are being preyed upon by the evil ones and all because alcohol has become the loved ones of their men folk.
Yes, I agree with anonymous!
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