For liquor in Jaipur, buyers draw circles to follow social distancing
The liquor shops opened on May 4 after a gap of almost 42 days of lockdown due to corona pandemic but the joy of overenthusiastic liquor buyers was short lived as they flouted the norms of social distancing and crowded at the counters.
Without letting the ‘gamchha’ wrapped as a mask on his face slip, a man bent low and drew a perfect circle with chalk in his hand. He passed the remaining white stick to the one behind him in the queue and obediently stood in his circle. They are not playing; neither the circle is on the blackboard in a classroom but on the scorching charcoal street that leads to a liquor shop in Jaipur.
“One box of chalk has been consumed since morning,” said an assistant offering chalk to alcohol buyers to draw circles to stand and maintain social distancing in the ever-lengthening queue outside the liquor shop on Ajmer Road.
While the teachers have grabbed mouse and keyboards as all classes are being held online, liquor buyers have the good old chalk between their fingers. “Mein to le kar hi aaya (I came with the chalk),” said another man, standing in 57th circle... a good 150 metres from the shop.
The liquor shops opened on May 4 after a gap of almost 42 days of lockdown due to corona pandemic but the joy of overenthusiastic liquor buyers was short lived as they flouted the norms of social distancing and crowded at the counters. The result: within an hour of the opening of the shops, the police had to order their closure.
Lessons learnt, everyone returned on Tuesday well behaved and prepared for the ‘test’. “Today we have put barricades and our assistants are moving amid queues of buyers with hand sanitisers,” said Manoj sitting at the counter of a wine shop on New Sanganer Road.
Shops didn’t open till the buyers disciplined themselves. There are 206 vends in Jaipur, out of which only 140 opened on Tuesday, said district excise officer Sunil Bhati.
Labourers, students, old businessmen, white-collar workers... the queue had everyone waiting since morning. Those who got the bottles could be identified not just by the sparkle in eyes but a bounce in steps and clank of invisible bottles tucked in pockets and thelas.
“Hum dus mazdoor kisi tarah 500 rupya ikattha kiya,” one labourer with three tiny bottles tucked in his trousers’ waist said how he pooled money with his friends to buy wine as due to lockdown he lost his job and went without liquor for more than a month.
