India’s First Alcohol-Free Village is Now Flooded with Liquor

From a village notorious for liquor sale and drinking, Monody village in Kerala’s Thrissur district became famous as India‘s first alcohol-free village in the early nineties.

Soon after, it transformed into a model village for development, winning recognition and awards but that transformation was short-lived, with the Kerala government itself setting up a liquor outlet just outside the village.

After being declared India‘s first alcohol-free village, the panchayat in Monody took off on the road of development, with India‘s first official self-help group and Rs 15 crore of development funds.

The jackfruit chips making unit was one of the first economic activities that started in the vllage.

Now liquor is beginning its dance of death in Thrissur all over again.

Narayani’s husband died drinking and recently her only son also turned a drunkard and killed himself.

”Only if liquor and bar is banned the people can prosper and families can survive. Otherwise what happened to me will happen again to someone else,” said Narayani, victim of alcohol drinking.

Sharadha’s husband drank poison seven months ago after turning an alcoholic. Now she is afraid for her son.

”Even children are beginning to drink. My son also started, it is becoming a big problem,” said Sharadha, a widow of alcoholic.”

”What the people decided they don’t want, the government is now coming forward to actively serve. The liquor lobby is putting pressure on the government to do that. That is what is happening here,” said Joy Kaidaram, Village panchayat member.

Also coming up nearby is a bar restaurant which shows that there is no island of sobriety left in the God’s own country.