For the residents of Kundala, a tribal village in Idukki, it is a much-wanted normalcy, says the Oorukuttam. Women are no more beaten up by alcoholic husbands, and men go to work, and buy groceries for their home, they say. According to the committee of the people of the hamlet, this was achieved by a ‘different’ approach – a rather controversial method: Ostracisation.
In a meeting held in the first week of September, the Oorukuttam decided to ostracise alcoholics. The decision was first taken in May but in the meeting held in September, it was decided to enforce harsh measures to completely ostracise persons who create havoc in the hamlet after getting drunk. Oorukuttam president Kanthaswamy tells TNM that they had no other option.
"Drinking was such a curse that most of the men in the hamlet would drink alcohol instead of tea in the morning. In the past one year, two men died of excess drinking, one was 40 and one was 47. There are 119 families in total in the hamlet and 70% of the men were addicts, that means there was an alcoholic man in every family," he says.
The inhabitants of the hamlet belong to the Muthuvan community, categorised as a Scheduled Tribe in the state. Residents make their earnings by working either as farm labourers or daily wage workers.
The punitive measures including ostracisation of the family as well, made a difference in a matter of weeks, the Oorukuttam says. "Alcoholic men and their families were not allowed to take water from the common well, no one would go to their house even in the case of a casualty, other men won't take them along for work,” says Kanthaswamy, adding, “And to lift the ostracisation, a man was needed to come and plead before every house. This has made a huge difference. Now there are only five or six men who drink regularly in the hamlet.”
The ostracisation has brought peace in the hamlet, claims Kanthaswamy. Men now go to work regularly, which was not a usual sight earlier and they take care of their families with the money they earn, he says. With ‘normalcy’ returning to families, the Oorukuttam no longer enforces its decision to ostracise alcoholics.
The Oorukuttam’s decision was in the making for a while, after efforts by the police and excise officials failed to make any impact.
"We also made the men who used to be alcoholics, take part in the meeting in September. Each of them was told to stop this. Now we don't hear any women crying, which was common earlier. After 5 pm, we all used to close our doors not to see all this,” he says.
Chinnaswamy, who is head of the hamlet, echoes the same opinion. "There was even sale of illicit liquor in the hamlet. But now the sale (of illicit liquor) and drinking has almost stopped," Chinnaswamy claims.