Keralites who are hell bent on setting new records in liquor consumption sprang a surprise this year by cutting down on their drinks on Christmas eve, when the state was mourning the former chief minister K. Karunakaran.
On December 24, the outlets of the Kerala State Beverages Corporation sold liquor costing `18.39 crores. This was markedly lower than last year’s Christmas eve sales that touched `28 crores.
It is not known whether people sobered up a wee bit because of their affection for the departed Congress leader, whose funeral procession traversed through the heart of Kerala on that day, or because a hartal-like situation prevailed in many parts of the state and many liquor outlets were shut.
But liquor sales in the days running up to December 24 and on Christmas day amply proved that no miraculous change of heart has occurred.
According to the figures put out by the beverages corporation, Keralites drank liquor worth `90.82 crores from December 22 to December 25. The minor hiatus on Christmas eve was compensated on the festival day. Last year, the sales during this period had reached `84.61 crores. As usual it was rum that flowed copiously across the state. The appeal by the Church not to turn Christmas into a Bacchanalian festival went unheeded as usual.