Thiruvananthapuram:
Walk down the streets of Thiruvananthapuram and the doors of closed bars greet you. For a Malayali, it is not a familiar sight. For years, these bars have seen brisk business even in the mornings.
But the happy hours are over. The Kerala government has launched a major crackdown against alcohol consumption, a phased decline, which will result in complete prohibition by 10 years.
Nearly 300 bars in non-five-star hotels will have to shut straight away. The government is revoking their licenses. And the licenses of 418 bars shut down earlier will not be renewed. Starting next year, all bars will have to be hosted in five-stars.
Kerala has India's highest annual per-capita alcohol consumption: 8.3 litres, according to some estimate. But despite 22% of the state's revenue coming from the sale of alcohol, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy believes the state would benefit more if people stop drinking.
But not everyone agrees. Like 58-year-old Venugopal, an electrician who travels 30 km every morning for a tipple. "Because of the auto fares, we can't save a lot of money for home. But whenever we go to work, we will drink a little," Venugopal said.
A conservative estimate says 8,000 workers like Venugopal are going to be affected by the liquor ban. And then there are the teenagers. While the legal drinking age is 21, liquor consumption these days begin at the age of 14.
Earlier, experiments with zero alcohol policy have failed in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Mizoram. Policies had to be rolled back, sometimes more than once. And in Gujarat, where there has never been a rollback demand, a bootlegging network ensures that the alcohol flows.
"Prohibition has failed in the US, Sweden and Denmark," pointed out social observer Praveen Parameshwar. "But Kerala has successfully reduced tobacco intake through a successful campaign. We need awareness."
For many, the government's move has brought a ray of hope. Today, a group of women came to congratulate the chief minister. Soumya Krishnan, who is in her late 40s, said, "At least now, there will be money for other things, there will be peace at homes".