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.