BANNING OF TODDY
By Gajanan Naik
Though the natural sap obtained by tapping the palms (Date, Palmyra, Coconut and Sago) is quite harmless when it is fresh and sweet even if consumed as a beverage, still the sap when fermented develops intoxicant quality. What is commonly known as ‘toddy’ is the fermented sap of these palms. The production, supply and consumption of toddy is under rigorous Government control, as it has been made a source of lucrative revenue. According to the Constitution, India stands committed to complete Prohibition. Now, it is only a matter of details and effective implementation of the policy, since the fundamental has been laid down.
It would be of interest to make a study of toddy consumption. A cursory observation of the working of the toddy booth in any place will show that almost all the consumers belong to the working class, who generally live hand-to-mouth. The well-to-do people rarely take to toddy, as they patronize more costly drinks. Toddy is perhaps cheaper than even country liquor. Thus the first great disadvantage resulting from the propagation of toddy is that it drains the poor man’s pocket, in addition to the other attendant sufferings like harassment etc. experienced by the family members of the toddy drunkard.
Secondly, the prevalence of toddy obstructs the growth of the important cottage industry—Palm Gur. The owners of palm trees, who realize exorbitant rents for the trees lent for toddy production, are reluctant to lend their trees on reasonable rent for gur production. The skilled labour, viz. the tappers, are reluctant to utilize their skill for gur production, as some of them can easily make more money by even indulging in adulteration of toddy. The prevalence of toddy trade creates a prejudice in the minds of the public against gur consumption from the fresh sap of the palms, as they wrongly presume that gur is made out of toddy. But, in areas where toddy is unknown to people, they bear no such prejudice. Due to such prejudice, marketing of gur becomes problematic.
The experience gained in the States like Bombay, Madras and Saurashtra, where complete Prohibition of intoxicants including that of toddy has been introduced, goes to prove that the discontinuance of toddy has bestowed so many benefits on the erstwhile consumers, as they have been able to effect savings and also purchase better articles of everyday utility, like clothing, utensils etc., for leading a more hygienic and smooth life. Moreover, the revenue realized by the States from toddy, is more or less, very limited excepting in case of Hyderabad (over 8 crores) Bihar and Travancore-Cochin (over one crore each). In 13 States, it is nil. So, the States can easily ban toddy immediately, with a view to save the poorer classes from the toddy menace and also for encouraging the cottage industry in order to ensure regular supply of the raw material, increase the skilled labour and also guarantee market for the gur. The banning of toddy will also serve as a substantive indication of the faith of the Satate government in the policy of Prohibition. It is quite interesting to observe that there are 13 States in the Union, which have already banned toddy in spite of the fact that there are a large number of palms which can be exploited for supply of toddy. The States are: Bombay, Madras, Saurashtra, Punjab, Jammu-Kashmir, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Ajmer, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Bhopal, Vindhya Pradesh and Kutch. Out of these 13 States, only the first three States have complete Prohibition. In the remaining 10 States toddy stands banned, though complete Prohibition has not been introduced.
The position of toddy consumption on All-India basis is in short, as follows:
Out of the total 28 States in the Union, three States (Bilaspur, Manipur and Tripura) have no palms at all. In the remaining 25 States, 13 States as shown above, have already banned toddy. Thus the problem of banning toddy is to be tackled by only 12 States (Assam, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Hyderabad, Madhya Bharat, Coorg, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Mysore and Travancore-Cochin). Even in these 12 States toddy has been partially banned in some of the States (eg., Uttar Pradesh–11 districts; Madhya Pradesh–6 districts; Orissa–a few tehsils, and Travancore-Cochin–almost in half the State.)
From the above, it will be noticed that banning of toddy need not be held up till it is financially possible to introduce Prohibition of all intoxicants. The 12 States where toddy still exists can very well adopt the policy immediately, as is adopted by the other 10 States, where toddy has been banned even without introducing complete Prohibition.
The piecemeal banning of toddy in a State on a district or tahsil basis does not bestow the desired benefits on the addicts or on the Palm Gur industry. Since the addicts migrate to the neighbouring toddy area for obtaining toddy and also the skilled labour concentrates in the area where toddy is still continuing, as has happened in Mysore and Uttar Pradesh, where toddy has been banned partially. Therefore, it is very essential that toddy should be banned simultaneously all over the States.
The rehabilitation of the skilled labour employed in toddy has been very successfully achieved in the Madras State, by organizing Co-operative Societies of the ex-toddy tappers for Palm Gur production. More than 2000 such Co-operative Societies are working in the State now, giving employment to more than one lakh tappers.
(Harijan, Aug. 23, 1952)