Tipplers turn family men overnight
KURUKSHETRA: The welfare of their families is the first priority on the minds of the former liquor addicts. Relieved of the addiction, they have begun concentrating on improving their lifestyle. Fifty year old Maya Ram, a tea stall owner, is one such case. He hopes to build a shelter for his family with the money he used to spend on liquor. For the last22 years, Maya Ram had been spending half of his day’s earning on liquor till total prohibition was enforced. Proper sleep eluded Maya Ram for some days, but it was fine after then. In fact, his health improved considerably without liquor and now he feels he has the capacity to work more. This has brought in more money and his wife and children are happy. Living in hut with his wife and five children, Maya Ram recalls that the brawls in the family were a routine.
Lauding the effects of prohibition, Shyam Singh, a villager from Bhawani Khera, said that the social life in the village was fast improving. The boozers used to create nuisance in the village and get away with it, but now they have joined the mainstream. He said guests were forced to take liquor at social gatherings and to leave a bottle unfinished was considered as an insult to the host. He was happy that prohibition had saved them of many such problems in one stroke. The women in the rural areas are very happy as well. Kailasho Devi of village Sharif Garh summed up her joy by saying that her husband, who used to return late at night, now joined them after sunset. According to her, the women in joint families had a number of social problems when elders came home in drunken condition.
Jaipal, an ASI in Haryana police, who had been an addict for the last 20 years, is feeling men he had to meet the Officers after heavy drinking at night.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 6, 1996
