Hello Gurugram! Hooch sensibly …else the Paradise will be lost !

On this Thurs-night (Thursday night), I was driving back from an upcountry bar around 9PM, located just opposite the Hotel Double Tree by The Hilton…. I left early as I had been out since morning and?tired too. Since the offer of bonhomie with younger generation over a drink or a two was too tempting to leave them early. By the end of one hard drink, I picked up bag and bid goodbye to them. One of the friend came down to see me off….so nice of him! As I was saying goodnight to each one of them, I was being motivated to consume one more…as saying goes one for the road…

?By the time I had crossed few turns to get to the road straight to my home, a Naka (temporary police check post) was set up by the Gurugram Police, a routine exercise in these areas as people from corporate go home after a drink or two, specially if they have a long weekend…basically to check the drunken driving.

If I take the liberty to speak about this industry in the city in terms of numbers, it is frighteningly high and will put many other world capitals to shame. This city has over 350 plus Liquor shops of all kinds, ?and sales crosses 300 crores ?per month. Just for the readers of other geographies… some of the popular ‘Liquor Retailers’ in Gurugram are L1 Wines …Krishna Wines … Kuldeep Wines ... Charlies-Wines · G-Town ... Kanak Wines · Discovery Wines · Lake Forest Wines … and so on.... all are nothing less five-star facilities….just walk in and BOB (Buy your own Boose). In addition, there are more than 500 plus ‘Ahatas’ (Lawns where you can drink with Hookka), clubs, pubs and bars to serve you the 'Somras'. All in all, the Gurugram can be termed as 'Hoocher’s Paradise'! Had the famous Farsi poet Amir Khusro been living today, he would have said his famous couplet for Gurugram and not for Kashmir, which I quote here:

"Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast".

In English, it means that "If there is a paradise on earth, It is this, it is this, it is this!”

Outsiders get amazed to see this dichotomy. In one hand, you (the government) have 400 odd stores selling liquor day in -day out ?and equal number or more pubs, bars, clubs and ahata (Lawns) to serve to their customers. And on the other hand, you let the police keep a check on the very people who already have paid for their salaries through the government for drinking!

So, the government Sir, please tell the drinkers, what do you want? If you catch them just outside the pub or the bar, how would they reach home after drinking?? of course, few of them go home by Taxis or take a lift. Personally, I would prefer to take a taxi. Then what you do with your own conveyance….next day early morning go and pick it up! Not a practical solution, Sir!

Let’s face it …who goes to these places, young people, most productive age group of the country… and you want them to save their lives too, Right! But you only have created the all the facilities for them to drink and enjoy…beat the stress while socialising over a drink or two (barring few)…but no sooner they leave the place after drinking, you let the police be on the prowl with ‘Breath-Analyser’ to penalise them, ?if they have consumed more than a bottle of Beer.

?I came to know from the google baba that the “breathalyzers are capable of detecting small amounts of alcohol”. So, if you had one bottle of beer or a glass of wine at dinner, it be detected and ‘the Mamu’ will be standing on the corner to catch you!

Now back to my story, I had a large one ….and a sumptuous dose of fresh lime with Bhootjolokia type green chilies, pinch of salt and half a glass of ‘Sprite’ (to remind myself: Darr ke aage Jeet Hai ). Certainly it had done the job …doused the breath, past experience helped this time too. I ‘Passed’ the test else would have paid Rs 10000 or worse it is even punishable to six months of prison….or both!

Just ahead, I saw a board written : ‘Don't Mix your Drink with Drive'

I am in support (100% ) of the noble mission of the Haryana government to prevent the loss of lives. We are the first in the world in losing life, one ?in every four minutes, on the roads due to accidents. So, what’s the solution? Be a dry state? Possibly, No! Lessons of Bihar teaches us …it’s a big loss to the exchequer and yet unable to stop the loss of lives….So the solution is to to drink sensibly and with a self imposed caution, else this Paradise will be lost forever!