In 1962, MA Venkata Rao wrote that most people did not think drinking was illegal, so they did not follow the rules against it and did not help the cops.
As part of the progressive, Gandhian way of life in free India after it got its freedom in August 1947, a law was passed that said people couldn’t drink any kind of alcohol or in any amount unless they were studying or taking medicine.
It was part of Gandhian ideas like khadi and peace, and the Congress believed in it. But they didn’t give much thought to how to make the reforms work in real life through laws. Congress leaders looked at the United States as a model. After years of failing to enforce the Prohibition Law with special police, the US had to repeal it. It was passed during a time of great optimism, during the war from 1914 to 1918, at the request of clergy and lay people who worked to promote temperance and educational and prison reformers. They had a lot of information about how much time was lost because of alcohol’s bad effects and how it made people low motivated in their home lives, from the working class to the intellectual elite.
But when the rule was actually enforced, most people didn’t agree that the state should be able to take away people’s right to drink in balance for fun and social reasons. People thought that the government getting involved in this area of life was an abuse of personal freedom that shouldn’t happen in a free country.
What You Need to Know
India’s prohibition law, which was based on Gandhian ideas, failed in the same way that the US law and it led to widespread resistance, illegal trade, and disrespect for the law. The piece questions the sense of regulating morality, saying that people who drink in moderation and don’t hurt others shouldn’t be affected by the law because real morality comes from freedom.
Most people in the country didn’t think drinking was illegal, so they didn’t follow the rules against it and didn’t help the police and watch groups apply them. Many people refused to follow the rules that they didn’t want. It became common to make and sell alcohol without a licence, which was laughed at by the law. Laws were disregarded, and more crimes were committed.
In India, we’ve been going through the same things since 1947
Some people are starting to question whether or not it is smart for the government to use laws like these to force guys to be moral.
A lot of other effects that are bad for morality in society and honesty in government have been seen in India, just like they were in the US before prohibition ended.
People from different classes and groups who lost their jobs when legal toddy tapping making and selling booze under license stopped have been distilling a lot of country liquor in the countryside and even in towns and cities. People say that the only small business that’s doing well in the country is making and selling illegal toddy! Some of the big sellers have started sneaking in foreign spirits and selling it on the black market. It’s turned into a good business for them. Regular users are able to get licenses based on health concerns for small amounts, but they get around the limits by working with approved dealers.
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Men in the army and foreigners are allowed to drink as long as they have a pass, which they can easily get
Working class women didn’t drink much before the rules against it were put in place. They scolded their men for engaging in the expensive habit that drained the family’s funds.
Most people from the higher castes didn’t drink, but the Jains and Brahmans were the only ones who closely followed the rule that you shouldn’t drink, with a few exceptions. The people from the other high classes drank alcohol in moderation and mostly during celebrations.
This example had a big impact on society and helped keep the drink evil in check. It never got as bad in India as it did in Europe and the United States, where it has become a major economic and social problem.
This is because the average farmer in France and Italy drinks a large amount of wine, which makes people less productive.
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