Bhopal: The sale of liquor on New Year’s Eve usually doubles compared to normal days, but on Dec 31 this year, the sale was just about normal. The reason: it was a Tuesday, when many tipplers refrain from drinking due to weekly observance mandated by tradition.
The liquor vendors said it was not that the liquor sale didn’t increase, but it came to sales like any normal day. The sale would have dipped considerably, like any Tuesday or Saturday, if it were not New Year’s Eve. The liquor vendors feel that the tipplers would make up for keeping away from booze on Tuesday on Wednesday, the first day of the year 2025.
Rajeev Gupta, a liquor contractor, when asked about the sale of liquor on New Year’s Eve, said, “It was like a normal day. The liquor sale on New Year’s is more than double the normal days, but since it was Tuesday on Dec 31, a lot of people restrained themselves from drinking, as is the case at least in the Hindi heartland for quite some time now. I am not saying that there was no increase in sales because if it were not so, the sales would have dipped as it usually happens during Tuesday and Saturday,” he said.
The Tuesday phenomenon spilled over to others as well. Gupta appeared to be right, as Dhanraj, who has a snacks shop in the vicinity of a liquor shop in Shivaji Nagar, said, “I had stocked up all kinds of snacks that people use with booze. On New Year’s Eve, people will start buying snacks, water bottles, soft drinks, even ice creams in bulk right from the afternoon. But New Year’s Eve this year was different. There was no crowd either at liquor shop or our shop. I shut the shop at 11.00 pm and left to celebrate myself.”
Rahul Singh, a marketing executive, said, “Yes, the liquor shops were not as crowded as they usually would be on New Year’s Eve. It being Tuesday on Dec 31 could be one factor, but I have a feeling that strict police action against boozers, particularly on New Year’s Eve, also had an impact in letting people remain at home and enjoy the evening with the family rather than a booze party with friends outside.”
There were New Year’s Eve parties with music, DJ, booze, and food on offer at hotels, restaurants, and clubs, and the attendance appeared to be good. Were the guests avoiding drinking at such parties also? A barman at a hotel, when asked about it, said, “Our event was for 50 couples. There were 2 complimentary drinks on offer and, of course, mocktails too. Some of the guests may not have consumed alcohol because it was Tuesday. I didn’t notice it, but male participants were having booze. There are Tuesdays every week, but the beginning of 2025 won’t come now,” he said.
