Thiruvananthapuram: If you are in Kerala and feel thirsty ask for “Red Lady.” Too shy? Then “neera” is another choice. They will not only quench your thirst but keep you healthy.
These are among a variety of non-alcoholic soft drinks the government of Kerala in southern India has introduced to fight alcohol addiction among its people.
The products under the brand name “magic drinks” were launched at a three-day international conference on alcoholism in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram.
The magic drinks were widely served at Feb 17-19 conference organized by Subodham (good consciousness), an initiative of the state government against alcoholism and substance abuse.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy opened the conference that was attended by over 150 delegates from various parts of India and other countries.
“More healthy drinks will be introduced at the conference,” said USS Global Chief Executive Officer Srikanth Manikoth, who introduced ‘Red Lady,’ another drink, during New Year celebrations at Kochi, the state’s commercial capital.
The organizers also served ‘neera’, a non alcoholic drink from coconut and palm trees and ice tea to counter alcoholic beverages. Subodham’s ice tea is a healthy variant of its original beverage and is prepared using lemon and cinnamon.
‘Red Lady’, a drink made mainly out of beetroot, was in high demand during the New Year Eve celebrations in Kochi. Around 8,000 glasses of this particular drink was distributed on a single day when it was introduced there.
“We are planning to introduce around 101 varieties of drinks through this project which will be prepared mainly using tender coconut water, mint, cucumber, Indian sarsaparilla and milk. Certain spices are also used to prepare these drinks,” managing director of Subodham campaign K. Ampady said.
Francis Moothedan, a trainer in Drug Demand Reduction filed, told Matters India that the launch of magic drinks will not only quench the thirst of alcohol cravers, but provide jobs to many.
Johnson Edayaranmula, advisor to Subodham, said introduction of magic drinks is part of campaign against alcoholism and most of them are organic drinks from natural sources.
Subodham plans to introduce several novel initiatives such as organizing new year celebrations in Cochin without alcohol. More than 4,000 youngsters took part in that event. They were let in after breath analyzer test. “Our next project is Onam celebrations without alcohol, and want to promote festivals, weddings, etc also with No Alcohol,” Edayaramula added.
Numerous Church-based NGOs who were attended the conference supported the government efforts in promoting a non-alcoholic culture, especiallly among youth. They also welcomed the starting of anti narcotic clubs in schools and colleges.