Manavaatti (Malayalam for ‘the bride’) and Aana Mayakki (one which makes the elephant sleep) are back in action in Kerala. No need to get confused. These are brand names of ‘desi daaru’ or the country liquor (arrack to be precise) distilled and sold in interior Kerala for those tipplers who could not survive without their daily quota of spirits.
A 200 ml measure of Manavatti will make the tippler behave like a bride! The head will bow down in shyness till it hits the chest. Aana Mayakki is so lethal that a small measure will put the man out of action for hours.
There are persons in all panchayats and municipalities well versed in distilling the country liquor with minimum raw materials and equipment. A little bit of ammonium sulphate, used batteries, and rotten vegetables are the ingredients.
The desi daaru made a return with the closure of the liquor outlets in Kerala and Tamil Nadu as part of the national lockdown. Both the States have fairly large number of tipplers who did not anticipate this kind of deprivation from the authorities, according to Jose Roshan, an entrepreneur in Perumbavoor. Roshan knows the spots in the town where daaru is available. With more than hundred thousand migrant labors in the town, bootleggers are doing roaring business and the coronavirus has brought them a bonanza through Manavatti and AM.
The case in Tamil Nadu is no different. The last two days saw police seizing liquor stored in unauthorized places in Puthukottai district and destroying the same by pouring the spirits into deep pits much to the anguish and agony of the tipplers. Some of them were seen pleading with the police not to be cruel and to show some kindness towards their agony.
There are reports from all over the State about bootleggers being arrested and illegal stuff getting destroyed. But for those in the know of things and who has right contacts at right places, freshly distilled daaru is available 24x7. One has to remember that the non-availability of liquor has claimed at least ten lives in Kerala alone.