I will drink to this

The only day of the week when I am not having any alcohol is today. It's that kind of a week. In anticipation of three days of cheer, I bring to you the following newsworthy items which I somehow missed when they came out.

If you want your tipple and you are anywhere close to Bhoma village in Punjab, do consider going here. However, if your religion, like mine, forbids mixing of drinks (especially scotch with anything other than a splash of cold water), then this place will be a problem. However, if you are into sissy drinks like Long Island Tea, then do consider the cocktail prasad.

Devotees offer liquor at the "samadh". The offerings measure up to thousands of litres, particularly during the three-day fair. The liquor flows into an iron pipe and devotees line up, holding steel glasses in their hands.
Gurnek Singh, a revenue patwari and caretaker of the "samadh", said liquor of all kinds was being offered at the shrine, be it country-made liquor or expensive foreign-brewed whisky. The offered liquor is put into one container and the "cocktail prasad" is distributed among the devotees. The devotees, who come from far-flung areas including remote areas of Himachal Pradesh, are given this "unique prasad" in the form of liquor in small plastic bags.

Do consider, all my spiritual brethren.


Also, Indian pilots and stewards have been caught trying to smuggle in expensive Scotch whiskey which they stole from Manmohan Singh's plane.

During the visit last April, the prime minister's security detail on board India's equivalent of Air Force One panicked when they discovered that one of the aircraft's cabinets had been broken into just before take-off.

A security alert was immediately sounded as secret service agents and intelligence officials scoured the aircraft for a possible bomb.

But all that they uncovered was the disappearance of several bottles of whisky.

This would not have been possible in the previous Prime Minister's reign since he was known to have the capacity to take care of the entire cargo himself.


Finally, if the EU has its way, I will not have to rely on the corner shop with its smuggled scotches when it comes to celebrating special moments. Plus, the bile that gets sold as Indian whisky in India would probably have some competition from the real deal.