The long wait that began from autumn finally comes to an end. Amidst all apprehensions, the temperature finally hits -8 degree Celsius at night. The men sigh, rise from their benches, emerge out of the building and begin to shuffle unhurriedly towards the vineyard along an earth now plastered in thick wads of December snow. The vineyard covered in net – to dissuade the birds of autumn to dip their beaks into grapes – is buffed to an ethereal white … Continue reading
First published in ‘The Economic Times.’ It is a storm that the high court of Kerala has kicked up recently when it observed why the government should consider banning toddy, a traditional beverage of the state, given the kind of spurious liquor that flows galore by its name. Can a drink be wiped off with the swish of a wand? Have we ever witch-hunted any other drink like this before? That Green Fairy A pair of green eyes peers us … Continue reading
RRR is sad. RRR regrets about the stories he has told you on alcohol. He bites his tongue hard and presently mulls over getting the first ‘R’ expand into something else other than ‘Rum’, hmm…say, ‘Railway’? No, railway sounds dull. Hmmm…got it! ‘Ram’! Yeah, that’s good! Ram reflects our culture! RAM! The symbol of noble manhood of our nation. The Maryada Purushothaman. Prayers on my ears. Ram will sure wash away half the sin of singing paeans on alcohol until … Continue reading
Continued from Part 1 The Ten Commandments of RRR Well, my friends, we have come a long way from the Vedas. I don’t have the patience to read references to wine in Ayurveda which also reeks with alcohol (perhaps we can do that on another occasion). RRR is happy. And is back on its course. It finds that it is not far from the tradition when it waxes on drinks. But like all good scriptures, RRR also has a moral … Continue reading
