After being a NITwit four years, people regularly ask me how do people from Surathkal manage to live in a place like Surat. When asked to define what they mean the answer is usually to the effect "Emmm, u know, dry state and all."
Well, for the ignorant out there, Gujarat is the only state in India where the sale of alcohol is illegal. The reason given for this is that it is Gandhiji's home state. "So what?" you may say. Well, the government took it upon itself to impose Gandhiji's philosophy through the rule of law.
But as we all know, when you tell some one don't touch something, it exponentially increases the chances that the person will actually touch it. Bootlegging is as common here as it was in America during the Prohibition. Incidentally it is idea that is said to have fascinated Gandhi (Prohibition, my friend, not the bootlegging)
With prohibition miserably failing to attain what it set out to, many people are questioning the government's policy. One enterprising group has actually come out with the idea of a MALT MARCH. To imitate Gandhi's salt march with a difference. Will it succeed in creating a wound and rubbing salt on it? Only time will tell.
P.S. I plan to post more about this Malt March as and when I get details. So stay tuned.
3 comments:
k. the original site got hacked. the new site is up at www.maltmarch.org
Cheers to that! Its rediculous how long Gujarat can live in such hypocrisy.
haha,
I think someone will b attending that march :)
heard they were meeting sometime in mid feb.
On a serious note, this is an idea whose time has definitely come.
sheer hypocricy on the part of the govt to outlaw alcohol. all it does is increase spurious stuff & related deaths.
Daman/Diu being so close by may have vested interest in seeing prohibition stay on in Gujarat.
its ridiculous this prohibition nonsense. If I'm old enough to vote politicians into power, am I not old enough to decide whether I wanna have a drink or not ? y does the govt need to force someone elses way of life down my throat.
U can call it a gandhian principle but the govt must be allowed to use it as a defense, if & only if they follow the rest of Gandhi's principles to the T not justpiecemeal 4 what suits them
Post a Comment