India’s capital has run out of booze
Acquiring alcohol has again become a hellish ordeal
Liquor stores in Mumbai take orders from customers on WhatsApp, deliver drinks to the doorstep and accept payment by credit card, mobile transfer and even cash. In booming Gurgaon, just over the state border from Delhi, India’s capital, enormous emporia entice thirsty—and thrifty—tipplers. In Delhi itself, though, potential buyers of booze must visit dank, government-run establishments, often in insalubrious markets, and join jostling, all-male queues for limited stocks of whatever is available that day. It is a hellish ordeal.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Unholy spirit”
From the September 24th 2022 edition
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