The Art of Drinking...

It was 08:00 PM on a bitter cold December evening when a TV commercial flashed before my eyes,   ” McDowell’s Soda and Music CDs”. By the time the commercial finished, I had already ordered my servant to make a large ‘On the rocks’ scotch for me with Delhi’s spicy tandoori Momos and peanuts. Cheers!!!

In India, one who consumes alcohol is considered as ‘untouchable’ by one who doesn't drink. It is a subject which people often hide it from their wives, girlfriends or parents. While I was having my glass of scotch, I did an introspection as to why alcohol is a serious problem in India. Let me just list a few problems here:

1.       Alcohol is seen as the main reason of women abuse/teasing.

2.       Alcohol is seen as the cause of road accidents.

3.       Too much intake causes liver cancer.

Why a person behaves irrationally or exhibits weird behaviour in an inebriated state? The reason is that alcohol has a direct effect on our nervous system. In our body there is a master gland known as ‘Pituitary gland’ or ‘छोटा दिमाग़ ‘ which controls the functions of other endocrine glands. Alcohol makes this gland handicapped and thus the person couldn't control his thinking capability or even his walk and speech. The problem lies in the fact that when we start drinking we have a starting point but our finishing point is pushed every time we are nearing it and we stop when we either puke or run out of money. There is a very well know line,” Do not let alcohol take control of you”. If you can do it, then you can truly enjoy your drink and wake up fresh the next morning. Also I have observed in India people gulp their drink in one go. What’s the hurry? Nobody is snatching your drink. Take a small sip, look around and talk to your साकी. And there are people who eat lot more चखना than the amount of drink they take. Always follow the rule of 1:3,”After every 3 sips, take a small amount of चखना”. Now let’s come to most important part of drinking,” How to make a drink?”. Never ever mix cold drink in Scotch/Whisky/Rum. They are to be consumed with Soda/water or on the rocks only when it is premium Scotch whisky (RS, McDowell’s No 1, BP, Signature etc. are not to be consumed raw). Pour 30 ml or 60 ml in a standard whisky glass and then add soda or water according to your preference in the ratio of 1:3. It is very good if you know your limits or if you are not sure then stick to 3 or 4. Always remember never drive after consuming alcohol, instead book a taxi.

In my opinion, our education system must include a subject on drinking etiquettes. Sooner or later we will be graduating from college and in corporate world we will be attending official parties. With the current drinking habits we will become a laughing stock or we may even face disciplinary action due to our weird behaviour. It is a hard fact that the authorities can prohibit people from drinking in certain premises but they cannot stop anyone from boozing. Rather they should train them how to drink in ‘corporate style’ or the way of Corporate-drinking. We must design a code of conduct for drinking responsibly and remember it by heart. Which glass to pick for which kind of drink? How to hold the glass? How to offer someone a drink? How much to drink? 

Drinking should be seen as a celebration. It is a way to liberate you from all mundane troubles of life. As they say too much of everything is bad, so be in your limits if you want to live longer. I always advise my fellow drinkers to ‘drink responsibly’ and do not forget to invite me for a drinking session with you. 

!!!Happy Boozing!!!

P.S. All the above view are my own and do not target anybody in particular. I have tried to cover all aspects but in case I missed any point do leave it in your comments.