DRY DAY, DAMAN.

‘Booze is the social glue of all mankind’, said dear old Barbara Holland who really loved her wine. Little did the dear departed soul know that prohibition in Gujarat leaves one asking for more.

Magan Batla and aunty Batli are being hounded in the dry state, post the hooch tragedy by the king of ‘gud’ times.

The intelligent agencies have all of a sudden, brilliantly discovered that 50% or more amount of illicit liquor in the state wades in from Daman via land or the waters of Arabian Sea.

Hence, all of a sudden, Gujarat’s Cavalla, is threatened for its very existence. Back tracking to the source has meant double jeopardy for all in the business of booze and wine shop owners had 19 to the dozen meetings a day to figure out a way to avoid face off situations.

Last Saturday, might as well go down as one of the darkest day in its Hic –History.

The Daman bandh call by the locals was so well supported that even paanwallahs had shut shop to catch up on siesta. Well meaning political parties have offered full support in exchange of vote banks.

Meanwhile, Goa’s country cousin had visitors left in the lurch, stranded on the rocks instead being able to enjoy one on the rocks. There was ‘water water everywhere, not a drop to drink.’

Regulars and first timers who had visited Daman from dry states or elsewhere, for a whiff of fun, fags and freedom got no high and were left dry .No more a booze shopper’s paradise, where alcoholics could feast their eyes with the sight of their favourite slugs and new stuff on the block.

Here is a farmaish, from them, about their feelings on Dry Day, Daman-

Hungama hai kyun barpa thodi si jo peeli hai-with random checks at the border for even vehicles that were coming into Daman, tourists were left wondering ‘daka toh nahi daala, chori toh nahi ki hai!”Little did they know someone else was cost cutting on the excise front.

Ek toh sharab kum aur paimaana toota hua-With no dearth –e-daru- syndrome ever in the past, people were caught unawares and had not stocked up. Spanning the quaint town resulted in a no win situation with all possible sources at protest against the injustice.


Hui mehengi bahut hi sharab ke thodi thodi piya karo-Alcoholics were singing this number, not nagging wives. Since wine shops were shut, visitors had no options but to drink expensive alcohol by more than 50%-70%, instead of paying corkage charge and drinking their own in local restaurants.

Nashaa sharab mein hota toh naachti bottle-Sang the poor souls who were fleeing the eerie town, as strict vigilance checkers made them open up boot and bags to find nothing.

Sharab cheez hi aisi hai na chhodi jayee-Stalwarts in the habit, took refuge in neighbouring Udavada and lit up the sleepy town with ‘jaahan char yaar mil jaye’

Ek taraf uska ghar, ek taraf maikada-Surat is to have 25 new city gates at the cost of rs.25 lakhs, to welcome people coming in. With most of its exit points leading closer towards its favourite water hole, booze lovers now shudder to think of what kind of welcome will they get on returning into the city.

Tum nahi, gham nahi, sharab nahi, aisi tanhai ka jawaab nahi-Surtis and others returned home on Sunday after a miserable Saturday, with a lesson learnt the hard way.

We try to hold, in full hypocrisy, to the principles of our dear Bapu, the Mahatma when it comes to prohibition.

It’s a shame then, that the heritage walk path of the Dandi march between Surat Navsari has now been conveniently shoved to non existence due to need of the hour road development.

The only question the now bitter but otherwise sweet Surtis want to ask the people concerned is,’Maine pi sharab, tumne kyaa piya?”