My struggle in Kerala
Yes it was really a struggle. I had gone along with my family to Kerala during Diwali vacations. And I just forgot that recently the Kerala government had banned the sale of somras, but of course, a ban which will be implemented in a staggered manner. So I was confident that the somras will somehow be available for my consumption; how wrong I was. When I enquired about the same with the hotel where I was staying, they told me that they don't have the license to sell it. Now what to do? Anyway, the first day was spent in some family building activities like having lunch together, talking with the wife, which means she talks & i listen, or rather pretend to listen, playing cards with my daughter, going on long walks in the hotel premises and the like. Wife suggested why not go for a temple Darshan tour next day but I was not very interested, especially when temple Darshan in Kerala involves wearing a dhoti or a mundu, don't recollect whether it is the right word, my Kerala friends should help me with the word...anyway that is a separate story in itself. But then going out of the hotel opened up the opportunity to locate the elusive somras bar. So we got ready early next morning to see the assorted temples, and believe me the temples were very unique and beautiful, but that is again a separate story. We finished the temple tour by 12.30 pm noon . During all this time, sitting in the car, i was on the look out for a somras bar, which could be accessible after the tour was over. Only once I saw a bar which was similar to the one found in amchi Mumbai. Immediately my binocular eyes 👀 were activated. But it was a false alarm. Alas!! The bar was closed 😞 I also noticed that there were some barricaded areas with protection where you could see only men in dhotis standing in a proper line, Taking something from the counter, hiding it in the folds of their dhotis and scampering off. But I could not make out what. Anyways I was least interested in their shenigans. I was more interested in somras bars, but could not locate any. Finally our temple Darshan ended at 1.00 pm... After that it was of course my time, after all the time given to the gods. So I mildly enquired with the taxi driver about the somras but was disheartened to see the blank look on his face. Some moments passed in total silence. I did not understand whether he understood my question. But I could see that he was looking at all the nearby shops with the same enthusiasm as me. I was confident that my message had been heard by him as well as the almighty. He was looking at the nearby shops, and I was looking at him... with expectation. But then he entered into the small lane where our hotel was located and my heart sank. I prepared myself for another day … and night of sobernesss. One lane he crossed, then the other. And then suddenly he stopped the car on a very lonely road. Questioningly I looked at him.In reply he just pointed out... There, in a small corner of the lane, there stood the similar barricaded shop which I had previously seen on the outer roads, and outside the shop the similar lungiclad gathering of men. The driver said in halting English...Beer 🍺...ELATION...but... again looking at the shop, a dark and forlorn place...i did not want to buy my beer from this place. But I certainly wanted my somras, so finally I offered some money to the driver to get down and buy it. But he looked at me very blankly, and offered his explanation. He is a localite, he is a teetotaller... And shockingly he is the vibhag pramukh of the local political party. That certainly zapped me. Finally I got down from the car 🚗. Humbly stood in the line of the lungi clad denizens, bought my bottle of manna, a very warm bottle of beer 🍺... And while going to the hotel, the driver told me that I had got the bottle from a government run shop. Thus ended my struggle for somras in God's own country...
With all apologies to my Kerala friends...hic...hic...hurray...
Yatindra Tawde
Yes it was really a struggle. I had gone along with my family to Kerala during Diwali vacations. And I just forgot that recently the Kerala government had banned the sale of somras, but of course, a ban which will be implemented in a staggered manner. So I was confident that the somras will somehow be available for my consumption; how wrong I was. When I enquired about the same with the hotel where I was staying, they told me that they don't have the license to sell it. Now what to do? Anyway, the first day was spent in some family building activities like having lunch together, talking with the wife, which means she talks & i listen, or rather pretend to listen, playing cards with my daughter, going on long walks in the hotel premises and the like. Wife suggested why not go for a temple Darshan tour next day but I was not very interested, especially when temple Darshan in Kerala involves wearing a dhoti or a mundu, don't recollect whether it is the right word, my Kerala friends should help me with the word...anyway that is a separate story in itself. But then going out of the hotel opened up the opportunity to locate the elusive somras bar. So we got ready early next morning to see the assorted temples, and believe me the temples were very unique and beautiful, but that is again a separate story. We finished the temple tour by 12.30 pm noon . During all this time, sitting in the car, i was on the look out for a somras bar, which could be accessible after the tour was over. Only once I saw a bar which was similar to the one found in amchi Mumbai. Immediately my binocular eyes 👀 were activated. But it was a false alarm. Alas!! The bar was closed 😞 I also noticed that there were some barricaded areas with protection where you could see only men in dhotis standing in a proper line, Taking something from the counter, hiding it in the folds of their dhotis and scampering off. But I could not make out what. Anyways I was least interested in their shenigans. I was more interested in somras bars, but could not locate any. Finally our temple Darshan ended at 1.00 pm... After that it was of course my time, after all the time given to the gods. So I mildly enquired with the taxi driver about the somras but was disheartened to see the blank look on his face. Some moments passed in total silence. I did not understand whether he understood my question. But I could see that he was looking at all the nearby shops with the same enthusiasm as me. I was confident that my message had been heard by him as well as the almighty. He was looking at the nearby shops, and I was looking at him... with expectation. But then he entered into the small lane where our hotel was located and my heart sank. I prepared myself for another day … and night of sobernesss. One lane he crossed, then the other. And then suddenly he stopped the car on a very lonely road. Questioningly I looked at him.In reply he just pointed out... There, in a small corner of the lane, there stood the similar barricaded shop which I had previously seen on the outer roads, and outside the shop the similar lungiclad gathering of men. The driver said in halting English...Beer 🍺...ELATION...but... again looking at the shop, a dark and forlorn place...i did not want to buy my beer from this place. But I certainly wanted my somras, so finally I offered some money to the driver to get down and buy it. But he looked at me very blankly, and offered his explanation. He is a localite, he is a teetotaller... And shockingly he is the vibhag pramukh of the local political party. That certainly zapped me. Finally I got down from the car 🚗. Humbly stood in the line of the lungi clad denizens, bought my bottle of manna, a very warm bottle of beer 🍺... And while going to the hotel, the driver told me that I had got the bottle from a government run shop. Thus ended my struggle for somras in God's own country...
With all apologies to my Kerala friends...hic...hic...hurray...
Yatindra Tawde
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