Delete the word ‘Sharab’ and its synonyms from the Urdu poetry, and you will left with a bland mumbo jumbo of the in-congruent words. The whole colorful history of Indian sub-continent seemed to revolve around the ‘May-or-Meena’ for centuries. Our kids and youth study these words in Urdu text books while reading Ustad Ghalib and other big shots, and then we expect them to not to become curious about it. Alcohol is prohibited in Islam, and personally I believe that its perfectly logical, as drinking is the mother of sins. You drink and you forget how to differentiate between sister and mother. You drink and you loose your humanity and can commit anything. So I am glad that this colorful thing is illegal in my country. But does being illegal mean that it’s not available or it is not used? No sir, if you think that you live in some other world.
From our elite classes to the people living below the poverty line, alcohol is available and used. Of course, imported stuff is used in the upper echelons, while home made, bad quality liquor, which is called as ‘Kuppee’ is gulped down in the poor circles. Even that is so expensive for the poor, that they only consume it on Eid or on the marriages. For Elite, nothing is more enticing than the imported drinks in the parties. They would kill for it. During Musharraf era, if you wanted to win a contract or get a lucrative job, you need to arrange the most expensive and oldest wine from exclusive cellars of the Europe. That man had the taste for it. Ask Atiqa Odho, as why she was so desperate to get the bottles of alcohol through the airport. Our most of anchors would also sell their prime time talk shows to get one carton of that flowing liquid. Our politicians, bureaucrats, judges, celebrities, sportsmen specially visit Dubai on weekends to get their lips wet and lids heavy.
Some poor people, who are audacious resort to cheap liquor on occasions like Eid. As usual, it also backfires for the poor too. More often than not, that cheap liquor is only methanol and is like a poison. That is why you hear the news like following:
*At least nine people including two brothers have died since Sunday morning after consuming toxic liquor in Azam Basti area of Mehmoodabad,
Geo News reported.
*Four people have so far been killed in two days as a result of consuming poisonous liquor while the number people affected by hit over 50 in
Hosri area of Hyderabad.
*SHEIKHUPURA: Two persons died of drinking toxic liquor at a wedding ceremony at Nizampura area , while three other are in critical condition.
*
MUZAFFARGARH: Four youngsters died after drinking toxic liquor here at Qasba Ruhilan Wala on Thursday.
Have you ever heard any elite or rich dying only by taking sips of that fine wine or whiskey? Ah the poor, who can’t even enjoy the liquor.