“Musalman o hindu hain do, ek, magar, unka pyala,Ek, magar, unka madiralaya, ek , magar, unki hala,Dono rehte ek na jab tak masjid mandir mein jaate,Bair badhate masjid mandir mel karati madhushal ।”
Many of us, poetry lovers, have enjoyed these lines of “Madhushala” sung by Manna Dey wherein “Madhushala” has been depicted as a metaphor for communal harmony. But on revisiting these lines in 2017, it’s highly unlikely that Manna Dey would be able to sing it in the current discourse and even if he did, it would have been subjected to serious protest from liquor ban lobbies and religious vigilantes from all communities alike.
‘Madhushala’ popularly known as bars are gripped by the constant fear of being extinct thanks to overzealous judiciary and a recent trend started by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. It won’t be wrong to say that ‘spirit’ is losing its spirit with each passing day. We are completely in agreement with the fact that irresponsible drinking has grave social implications but whether prohibition is an effective solution remains a contentious subject.
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