Just in Jest | Dope test: Kerala versus Punjab

'Patiala peg' has been a patented property of Punjab for a century now. But, 'peg' is no more the most-favoured potion of Bacchus lovers in Punjab — at least for the past two decades.

The reason: Bhaajis have graduated from bottle to needle. The 'drinking-to-doping' evolution took a few decades to turn the 'Breadbasket of India' to a drug capital.

A strange phenomenon was reported from Punjab during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which saw rival parties blaming each other for the drug menace. Poppy husk (rural Punjab's favourite dope) supply to the state was hit hard following the strict implementation of the Election Commission's code of conduct. Soon, hospitals and de-addiction centres in Malwa region, Punjab's drug capital, were overflowing with patients showing withdrawal symptoms. A newspaper headline screamed: 'EC's poll code gives Punjab withdrawal symptoms.’ A top political family was also targeted by foes for fuelling the state's MDMA mania.

Some 3000 km away, God's Own Country has always been grateful to the 'Granary of India' for the 'Patiala peg'. Mallus also love to compete with Punjabis in almost all fields – booze, sports (forget slapgate), immigration... The latest addition to the list is dope.

Last month, a shipful of MDMA, which was enough to give a high to all the aquatic creatures in the Indian Ocean, was seized off Kochi. Whispers in the NCB corridors claim that the ship sank along with a huge quantity of the contraband before the officials could confiscate the entire cargo. If 'Ecstasy' worked on sea water, it would have caused another dope-infused tsunami off Kerala coast.

Another alarming sign of Kerala going the Punjab way is that the number of schools in the southern state targeted by narcotics mafia has gone up from 250 last year to 1,100 in 2023.

Apparently, the quantity of drugs seized in Kerala could make Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar turn in his grave at Medellín, ruing his failure to expand his business here.

While Punjab was spiralling down the narco tunnel, there were people like former Indian hockey captain and Olympian Pargat Singh who prescribed the 'stick therapy' to break the stranglehold of opioids on youth. He revived the hockey stadium in his village Mithapur and convinced teenagers to join the game. Within a few years, three players from Mithapur were in the national squad.

Pargat's therapy didn't stop at Mithapur. Neighbouring village Sansarpur, known as the nursery of Indian hockey, also picked the 'stick' to fight 'nasha'. Soon, several villages followed suit. It's just a start and the battle is yet to be won.

Apart from the 'spirit consumption', Kerala is also known for its sporting spirit. Like Punjab, it has produced world class sportspersons.

Considering the spread of drug network in Kerala, the state would need a hundred Pargats to take on the 'needle'.

Are Kerala's sportspersons ready to rise to the occasion and set an example for Punjab and Pargat? Like always, is Kerala willing to compete with Punjab and take up the challenge?

It's high time the government learned a few lessons from Punjab and wrote a new Kerala story before 'opium becomes the new religion of the masses.’