So, how are the tipplers in former united Adilabad district coping with in these times of forced dry days and restricted physical movement? Many in urban areas and mandal headquarters are purchasing regular liquor at exorbitant rates while rural drunkards have fallen back to consume the illicitly distilled liquor (IDL) called gudumba and in some places in Tamsi mandal, the never-heard-before mix of water and chloroform.
In the agency areas, the tribals are trying their hand at brewing the traditional drink, the ippa sara, made of ippa or mahua or iruk in Gondi dialect (Madhuca indica) flowers. The delay in flowering season of ippa has coincided with the lockdown period helping the Adivasis to collect the flowers early in the morning.
The tribals are permitted by given law to brew their own liquor and store up to five litres for self-consumption. Its comeback is being welcomed by elders in the agency area as it is much less harmful to the health, according to a patel or village head man.
“Many who had shunned iruk collection since a few years can be seen under the mahua trees early in the morning. The flowers need to be dried up and then soaked in water for a couple of days at least to extract a small quantity of heady brew from it,” the elder revealed.
Smuggled liquor
A surprise check of vehicles violating the lockdown, by none other than Adilabad Collector A. Sridevasena three days back yielded just eight nips of whisky being smuggled in car, surprisingly by a government functionary. Though the quantum of liquor was negligible, it gave way for the Prohibition and Excise department to open retail liquor shops to check stocks.
“We found only negligible discrepancy in maintenance of stock register in some shops,” observed the Prohibition and Ecise Officer for Nirmal and Adilabad districts, Ravinder Raju. It is apparent that some unscrupulous licence holders, especially in retail outlets located closer to inter State borders and far flung areas had stocked up in the numerous belt shops from where the liquor is being sold for as high a price as four-fold the maximum retail price in urban places.
In rural areas, the gudumba is also being sold for as high a price as ₹ 150 for about 200 ml sachet. The bootleggers have not established regular ‘outlets’ for selling the hooch but being familiar with alcoholics in respective areas, the IDL, being brewed in the dried-up streams far away from human habitations, is being delivered at doorsteps.