We mallus can never be beaten on this one!

I was on my customary walk in the evening and I'd to pass by an outlet of the 'Beverages Corporation' on that circuit. The Government of Kerala has declared tomorrow(01 Oct) and the day after(02 Oct) as 'dry' days and consequently, there was a serpentine queue of enthusiastic tipplers in front of the outlet to collect their stock!

No, I ain't taking a holier-than-thou-attitude as I've said earlier that I too enjoy a drink but in moderation and therefore, do not consider drinking to be bad, provided the consumption is within reasonable limits.

I decided to interrupt my walk for a while to observe the prospective buyers waiting patiently in the queue. The first thing that struck me was this was the only 'well behaved' queue that I've seen here - no jumping the queue by anyone and everyone exhibited a military like discipline. And I was lucky to see a couple of expressions that were simply unique - the first that covered ecstasy while the second encompassed a deep sense of loss.

The jeans clad youngster, who came out of the counter with his prized possession had a twinkle in his eye with a tremendous sense of smugness writ large on his face - ecstasy, in its unadulterated form as though he'd achieved the impossible! The dhoti clad middle aged gentleman did have a harrowing experience - to his utter horror, his prized possession had slipped through his grip and fallen on the ground to break into a few pieces, spewing the smell of its contents into the immediate neighbourhood and that was the time I decided to walk away. As I was getting into gear(?!), I happened to see the gentleman's face - he'd that unmistakable look of someone, who'd lost everything in life. For him, his world had come tumbling down! The rest of his colleagues in the queue joined him spontaneously in his grief.

A mallu's love for Bacchus' brew is touching!