In 2014, when the then UDF Kerala government introduced liquor ban in the state notorious for its 'booze statistics', a large section of boozers lamented. The laments were not just about alcohol that was going to be missed, but about a certain kind of camaraderie that could go extinct—bonding over booze. For Malayalis (not generalising), nothing beats the bond struck over a glass of alcohol, or the traditional toddy paired with a plate of beef roast or spicy 'mathi' (sardine) fry, and some wit and gossip.
They say cinema is a reflection of society and Malayalam cinema has often perfectly captured Malayali's love for food and booze. The 'katta local' pork and tapioca with eggs from the director Lijo Jose Pellissery's Angamaly Diaries; the 'beef is an emotion' dialogue mouthed by Tovino Thomas in Godha, or timeless alcohol-friendly songs like 'nee arinjo mele maanathu...', 'anthi kadapurathu...'—all these conjure up an image of a bond rooted in the cultural fabric of the state.
With the advent of social media, Malayalis proved this sort of camaraderie need not only be portrayed in public, seated around a table, but took it onto virtual platforms, too. From sharing anecdotes, movie dialogues and memes, travel stories about quaint toddy shops or luxury bars across the world, to posting mouth-watering photographs of food, they struck up friendships among like-minded people.
Paving way for widespread protests from social media users, the state excise department has struck down heavily on one such Facebook group—'Glassile Nurayum Platile Curryum' [Fizz in the glass and curry on the plate]—on charges of encouraging boozing. The excise has filed a case against Ajithkumar and Vineetha from Thiruvananthapuram who served as admins of the group. According to reports, remaining 38 admins of the group will also face trial. The excise department said it has found many posts, videos and pictures encouraging large-scale liquor consumption, including picture of a child seated in front of a glass of liquor.
Known as GNPC, the closed group with a strength of over 18 lakh members including celebrities, calls itself the 'world's biggest secret group'. With such a massive following, it comes as no surprise that #ISupportGNPC has been trending on social media. It seems like a different movement of sorts—for 'friendships' or against 'moral policing' as some users put it. Social media users have also lambasted the 'double standards' of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government, which ironically revoked the liquor ban after coming to power. If legal action is being taken against GNPC for promoting booze culture, similar action must be taken against the government, too, say the trolls. If a closed social media group could encourage boozing, what about all those glorification and romanticism of alcohol on the big screen, they ask? A barely readable statutory warning enough to neutralise the effect?
Much like booze and food, trolls and satire are also an inherent part of Malayali identity. As trolls and memes support the group and its admins, only time shall prove what exactly will come out of this random measure to check boozing.
Till then, Malayalis would continue to proclaim their love for bonding over booze and food.