<p>227. <em>Thodi Thodi Piya Karo</em></p>
In Paris, they say 'boire un peu.' In India, Pankaj Udhas has long advised, 'Thodi Thodi Piya Karo.' My guru, Khushwant Singh, never poured more than a single peg of Scotch and only shared it when he invited me, so consider my misery when I thought of myself as a guest.
When he noticed my grumpy expression, he would say, “You are a young man and should drink only a little at a time.” After leaving his gate, his guests usually stopped at a bar to fill their quota — that was just how it was.
Today, a Delhi-based journalist friend shared a funny but unusual incident. Here it goes -
There is a man in Delhi (I'll keep his name private, so we’ll call him AP), who lives in Greater Kailash-II and works for a company on Gurgaon's Golf Course Road.
Last Friday evening, the 30-year-old chose to go to a bar since his well-earned weekly day off had finally arrived.
According to the man, he drank so much alcohol that he misread the MRP of a Rs 2000 bottle as Rs 20,000 and paid that amount! He realized the mistake when the shop owner returned Rs 18,000 to him.
Now, Delhi—known as a haven for corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, and shrewd dalals and fixers who make it their final home from all over the country—enters the story.
A stranger, nearly personifying the city, silently watched him before approaching AP and inviting him to join for drinks.
The two connected over drinks and left together afterward. Mr. AP offered the stranger a ride, which he accepted. When they reached Huda City, the stranger asked AP to get out of the car, and in his forgetfulness that it was his vehicle, AP exited.
As the man drove off in his car, AP, thanking him for his concern, happily took the Metro back home. It was only a day later that AP realized what had happened the night before.
After listening to the whole story, I felt duty-bound to dispel some myths about this area, which, in no way, is the ‘area of darkness’ if we borrow the three words from VS Naipaul.
People who abstain from drinking promote the view that alcohol consumption is a bad habit.
Yes, it is true as long as you don’t listen to what people in Paris say, or what Pankaj Udhas kept reminding us through his 1986 album ‘Aafreen’ for 38 years before passing away on 26 February 2024, or what my guru had been telling his guests.
Now, combining my subjective and objective perspectives, I believe it is not a bad habit. All along, while saying this, please remember I may have been instigated by Nida Fazli, who says -
कुछ भी बचा न कहने को हर बात हो गई
आओ कहीं शराब पिएँ रात हो गई
(There's nothing left to say; everything has been said. Let's go have a drink, it's late evening.)
The two great poets, Ghalib and Faiz Ahmad Faiz, have also spoken favorably –
'ग़ालिब' छुटी शराब पर अब भी कभी कभी
पीता हूँ रोज़-ए-अब्र ओ शब-ए-माहताब में - (Ghalib)
आए कुछ अब्र कुछ शराब आए
इस के ब'अद आए जो अज़ाब आए - (Faiz)
To my knowledge, only Jigar Moradabadi had some issues when he wrote –
सब को मारा 'जिगर' के शेरों ने
और 'जिगर' को शराब ने मारा
(Everyone was killed by Jigar's poetry, and Jigar himself was killed by alcohol.)
But his apprehension proved incorrect as he became a legend.
Personally, I always feel very good, happy, energetic, and see my creative juices flow after fulfilling my quota.
Even some of my friends say to each other, “Let him finish the bottle of wine, and we will listen to many sonnets, Ghazals, and works by Kafka, Stefan Zweig, and even Plato will start speaking through him.”
I acknowledge that the inhibitions holding me back suddenly disappear at that moment.
Abdul Hameed Adam realised late when he said -
वो मिले भी तो इक झिझक सी रही
काश थोड़ी सी हम पिए होते
(Even when we met, I felt a sense of hesitation. I wish I had had a little drink.)
No problem, Adam saheb, try next time.
But coming out of the bar, many of us feel like Firaq Gorakhpuri -
आए थे हँसते खेलते मय-ख़ाने में 'फ़िराक़'
जब पी चुके शराब तो संजीदा हो गए
(Firaq came to the bar laughing and playing. After drinking, he became serious.)
To conclude, I will include the necessary disclaimer and reassure everyone reading and furrowing their brows by mentioning what Jigar Moradabadi said—
गरचे अहल-ए-शराब हैं हम लोग
ये न समझो ख़राब हैं हम लोग
(Even though we are alcoholics, don't think we're bad.)
And still, if someone has a logical issue, then remember that Sheikh Ibrahim Zauq has also faced this dilemma and issued a decree for all those who drink, which goes like this -
ज़ाहिद शराब पीने से काफ़िर हुआ मैं क्यूँ
क्या डेढ़ चुल्लू पानी में ईमान बह गया
(Zahid, why did I become a disbeliever by drinking alcohol?
Did my faith get washed away in a small amount of water?)
Zauk has also clarified that this decree doesn’t apply to alcoholics found in gutters.
Oh! Many of you may be unaware that in Maharashtra and Gujarat, the drinking community has its own festive day, known as Gatari Amavasya, celebrated on the new moon day of the Ashadh month, just before the holy month of Shravan.
It is an important day, a day for feasting and enjoying one last time before beginning a month-long abstinence. Gujaratis travel to Maharashtra to celebrate before they impose a self-ban on drinking – the reason you know.
On this festive day, drinkers try to consume enough to last through the upcoming month, and many are found in the gutters. And that’s how the festive day gets its name, Gatari.