It is called God's own country. But apparently the god ruling Kerala seems to be Bacchus. Known as a model state for its excellent human development record, Kerala tops the country in alcohol consumption as well(followed by Punjab's 7.9 litres). The state breaks all records when it celebrates its traditional festivals-religious or otherwise.

As usual, the recent Onam festival, Kerala's biggest harvest festival that culminated on September 2, was no exception as it notched up a new record in alcohol consumption. The seven-day Onam week, excluding one dry day, saw Kerala gulping down Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 154.44 crore as against Rs 126.07 crore last year, registering an increase of 41.53 per cent. The sales peaked on two days before the climactic Thiruvonam when Malayalees guzzled IMFL worth Rs 34 crore as against last year's highest daily figure of Rs 23 crore.

Keralites

No wonder one of the state's most revered deities is Parassinikadavu Muthappan in Kannur district whose favourite offering is liquor. These days, thanks to the large number of devotees working in the Gulf, Muthappan's favourite offering (as reported by the priests) is Scotch whisky rather than the traditional arrack or toddy.

If one considers the amount of toddy, a popular liquor sold through the 5,000-odd registered outlets, the total consumption would be staggering. Not just toddy, but the highly popular arrack, another country liquor banned since 1995, flows freely across the state. In fact, its value was put at Rs 13,000 crore a year . According to the industry sources, alcohol sales in the state are actually worth Rs 20,000 crore. Rum sells the most, followed by brandy and whisky.

While 15-20 per cent of the population consumes liquor in the country, the figure for Kerala is 30 per cent.The average age of starting consumption of liquor was 19 years in 1986 but it fell to less than 13 in 2001.

A recent study by the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, an NGO, says Keralites collectively spend most on marriages (Rs 6,787 crore annually), followed by medical treatment (Rs 2,800 crore). Clearly, spending on liquor, officially on IMFL alone, would certainly rank third in the list.

(I would like to thank India Today for all the valuable statistics and quotes")