How ‘legacy liquor’ became a lethal brew: Amritsar hooch tragedy exposes deep roots, deadly shift in Punjab’s ‘desi liquor’ culture

Chandigarh: The hooch tragedy in Amritsar, which claimed multiple lives, has reignited concerns over Punjab's deeply entrenched culture of country-made liquor, or "desi daru". This incident follows a similar 2023 tragedy in Sangrur, where 20 people died after consuming spurious alcohol."Historically, the tradition of brewing local liquor in Punjab dates back to the Mughal period and continued through Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign. Nomadic groups like the Kulals were known for their distilling skills. British colonial authorities later imposed excise regulations in the 18th century, creating the state excise department to control and tax the trade," according to a retired professor from history department in Patiala's Punjabi University.Traditionally, villagers brewed liquor using jaggery, fruits, or sugarcane in small batches. Despite its illegality without a licence, such liquor continues to be celebrated in Punjabi culture, frequently referenced in songs and films. Self-distillation is called ‘ghar di kaddi' in local parlance and ghar di kaddi is as popular as liquor bought from the liquor vends. Various villages in Muktsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Moga along the course of Satluj or other water bodies are infamous for Lahan (distillation).However, experts warn of a dangerous shift from traditional methods to the use of denatured spirit—a toxic industrial solvent—to produce quick, cheap alcohol. This practice drastically reduces cost and production time but often results in methanol contamination, which can cause blindness, organ failure, or death within hours.Experts blamed the excise department's failure to control the trade. "They lack enforcement power. Without police support, they cannot conduct raids, and political interference has worsened the problem," said experts.With licensed liquor heavily taxed, many low-income consumers turn to illicit alternatives. Victims of the latest tragedy were mostly daily-wage workers. Survivors reported symptoms consistent with methanol poisoning, including blurred vision and temporary blindness.Despite its cultural significance, no formal study has examined Punjab's country liquor trade—its origins, risks, or scale. Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer Baldev Sadaknama noted that liquor and Punjabi culture have long been inseparable, tracing its presence in mythology, royal courts, and even military cantonments during the British era.Harish Sharma, retired professor and former head of the history department at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), recollected, "In 1960s, 70s and even in 80s, sellers used to carry desi daru in tyre tubes, hanging on their shoulders, and their buyers would know. Many times, they would sell a glass or two with a packet of salt to eat with."Lakhvinder Singh Johal, a former secretary of Punjab Arts Council, Chandigarh who also served as programme executive with the Doordarshan, shared vivid details of the past. "Any person with a village background would tell that consumption of country-made liquor has been in vogue for long. In my younger days, I have seen bhatthis of such liquors at tubewells. There used to be police action also against those distilling this."Johal shared another revealing pattern of the past. "On both sides of Sutlej, from Phillaur to Harike Pattan, those into the country-made liquor distillation would even transport the liquor using tyre tubes. The recipient used to collect the same downstream the river."Johal said, "People primarily use the leftover jaggery they prepare from sugarcane juice and to make it a premium drink, they would add things like saunf (fennel seeds) and orange leaves and number of other things. The months of March and April, with hot conditions, would act as a perfect weather to ready the mixture for distillation, at times within a week."A Punjab police personnel, who claimed to have been part of police teams which accompanied excise department officials to conduct raids, said, "In backward areas of border districts, a large number of women run such illegal activities. This is basically methyl-based alcohol which is made instantly by pouring a concentrated bottle into a given quantity of water. And if the ratio of concentrated material to be mixed is higher, it gets fatal. It is unlike the one distilled for personal consumption or guests where it takes few days to ferment the mixture and mature it using yeast as a catalyst." The personnel said, "In one such raid at Fatehpur in Amritsar district, the woman who was running this business, tried to pour down the mixture in a water channel, but we managed to get hold of it when half of it was still left. People try to throw away or pour the mixture in an attempt to evade action." He also said, "Such illicit liquor is sold for, say Rs 40 a glass to give an instant high."Some accounts suggest that the legendary Sikh ruler of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was also fond of a concoction. "Yes, it was said that he used to have a drink, a concoction and also used to consume opium. But we don't have the details or reference which type of concoction. He also used to talk to the British on such things, it is said. But, we don't have any exact reference or any original or credible source," said a retired professor who researched the life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.Professor Amarjit Singh of GNDU Centre on Studies in Guru Granth Sahib said, "Had Maharaja Ranjit Singh been fond of alcohol, he would not have run the administration in the legendary way he did. Even the foreigners say that they did not come across a ruler like him. These types of narratives were floated by the British after Punjab was annexed after 1849. They wrote, got written and propagated things which were against the Sikh rule."BOX‘Aapna Punjab hove, ghar di sharab hove'"Aapna Punjab hove, ghar di sharab hove, mooli naal ganda hove, vaan wala manja hove, oye manje utte baitha jatt banya nawab hove (The place should be our Punjab and there should be home-made liquor. Along with there should be radish and onion, and Jatt should be sitting like a royal figure on a jute bed)". This Punjabi song by noted singer Gurdas Maan and its popularity years ago summed up the culture of Punjabis taking a sort of pride in counting on country-made liquor to get a high.While there have been numerous songs by various Punjabi singers on country made liquor – called in local parlance as "desi daru" or "desi sharab" – the song by Maan may be bracketed amongst the top in terms of describing the finer details of "desi daru" as its lyrics also go "pehle torh wali vichon, dooja peg laaya hove (Drinking second peg from the first distilled bottle). Among the lot, the first distilled bottle of country-made liquor is believed to be highly concentrated or pure one may call, its concentration or purity decreasing by subsequently distilled bottles. "It is believed to be a common knowledge that hosts in Punjab villages offer ‘pehle tor di' bottle to guests to give special treatment to guests. These are the standard practices which have been there for long," said retired professor and former head of the history department at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) Harish Sharma, while describing the first bottle of the country-made lot.(With inputs from Bharat Khanna & Neel Kamal)MSID:: 121141095 413 |