Krishnagiri: Tamil Nadu has witnessed many agitations by women demanding closure of the state-run Tasmac liquor shops but several of their gender in the villages of agrarian Krishnagiri are regularly queueing up before the state-run Tasmac shops to buy their daily dose of booze.
"This sight of women flocking to Tasmac shops may be new to outsiders like you but it's common sight to us here", rues 30-year-old P. Hariputhran, who runs a photo studio at Chennappa Nayakkanoor village, only a kilometre from Uthangarai town of Krishnagiri, where around 300 families of a particular community dwell.
"These women seem to compete with the men folk as they coolly pick up their daily dose from the Tasmac outlet and either consume the liquor right there near the shop or even take it home to drink at leisure. Problems arise only if they do not share with the men folk at home", said Hariputhran, adding that the women customers are usually in the age group of over 35.
"They seem addicted to liquor from an early age, having been introduced to the habit by some senior member of the family. The women give the same excuse that the men peddle, that they need the liquor to relax after a hard day's labor in the fields", said Hariputhran.
District secretary V Govindasamy of the Vivasaya thozhilalar sangam of the Communist party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said, "Younger people migrate out of the village to work as stone breakers in quarries across the state. Only the aged people and women unable to find work have remained at Chennappa Nayakka-noor".
He said the women of a particularly community "are introduced to the habit of drinking alcohol from their childhood by the family members". The women sink deeper and deeper into this habit, unaware of the chronic health issues".
The Marxist leader said the district administration should conduct awareness programme for this community addicted to alcoholism. He also wanted the state to reduce the number of TASMAC shops gradually as promised by the late chief minister J.Jayalalithaa.
"The State must act at least and reduce the number of Tasmac shops, as promised by Jayalalithaa. Otherwise, Tamil Nadu will have many villages like Chennappa Nayakkanoor having women competing with men in the number of tipplers", Govindasamy said.
