Raise a toast to local

Consumers are increasingly turning towards ‘made in India’ brands as their preferred drink. Nudge the trend further ahead this Valentine’s Day, says AYANDRALI DUTTA

INDIAN-made liquor brands have seen a sudden surge in the native alcohol market as the cry for #vocalforlocal has become the mantra. The presence of gin, whisky, beer or even home-grown wines is almost like a whiff of fresh air. Home-brewed alcohol like local mahua, toddy, rice beer, feni or the Apo local alcohol had always thrived while royal families had potent drinks — Chandrahas, Kesar Kasturi —the recipes of which remain a secret. Balwant Pratap Singh from Keria Thikana, near Mewar, says, “Only men can make our local alcohol, Keria, which has been in our family for more than 100 years. Available in nine flavours, it is served as a welcome drink to special guests.” The bar scene in India has experienced a facelift with the entry of many new brands. The new age toast Raise a to local

entrepreneurs are making sure that it is big and promising at all levels. Malay Rout, founder, Wine & Spirits Club of India, says, “As per a recent survey by Forbes, India is the highest whisky consuming country in the world and the volumes are three times more than USA, the second on the list. Other than Old Monk rum and Kingfisher beer, it’s only recently that our single malts got recognition in the international market despite the fact that these brands —Old Monk rum, Kingfisher beer, Rampur Single Malt, Amrut or Paul John single malt —are owned by big Indian alcohol houses. It’s a little sad that these brands struggle due to heavy label registration fee. Indian consumers started valuing premium domestic brands only after these were accepted in mature markets across the globe.”

THE GIN CLUB

THEgin revolution has been powered by Hapusa, Greater Than, Stranger and Sons, Terai, Pumori bubbling onto the scene. All of these have a unique taste and texture, depending on the manner in which these have been distilled or processed and are equally different in their strengths, tones and tastes. “When we decided to launch Greater Than and Hapusa there was the question if it would be accepted by the Indian consumer. I always knew there has to be a gin for the Indian market and focussed on making the best quality. Our gins proved themselves and there was significant sense of pride in the “local” which started to tip the scales in our favour. The Indian story has been a cliché and ‘local’ certainly doesn’t have negative connotations, any more, the way it did earlier,” affirms Anand Virmani, founder, CEO and distiller, Nao Spirits & Beverages Pvt Ltd.

Be it the delicate floral notes and a spiced finish, or the quintessential gondhoraj (a lemon with a unique smell)and turmeric aroma, these gins are more about experimentation and giving Gen X a new taste and flavour. Conceived and created in Goa, the party capital of the country, Stranger & Sons Gin is the mastermind of Rahul Mehra, Sakshi Saigal and Vidur Gupta, three gin-lovers. The brand’s USP lies in its no plastic packaging. Everything is recyclable, can be reused and has been carefully crafted. The botanicals are used whole, with no part discarded as waste. Sakshi Saigal adds, “Our brand infuses nine botanicals and sources junipers from Macedonia. We’ve poured our hearts, souls and spirits into creating a ‘first class’ product. While expanding to new geographies, the brand stays true to its identity.”

Anand’s passion made him go on a juniper hunting spree. He found it in the Himalayas and this was used to make one of the finest gins, Hapusa. Yangdup Lama, renowned mixologist and bar-owner, who is also a consultant with Hapusa, says, “Gin is becoming the preferred drink. Despite its market share being less, it’s growing consistently in the market. The Indian gin is defining the country in a bottle with local flavours like black pepper, nutmeg, mace, coriander, liquorice, cassia bark. A flavour of Hapusa has gondhoraj, which is unique and attractive.”

THE WHISKY AFFAIR

WITHrising aspirations and increase in the disposable incomes, the consumer wants to try something premium so that there’s a shift from molasses to grain and malt-based spirits as well as an upward movement towards more premium quality drinks. With concepts of #Vocalforlocal and #Supportlocal campaigns, the new breed of entrepreneurs launched homegrown and craft drinks. As the market gets a taste of slowly evolving pattern of alcohol consumption, Aman Thadani, director of business development at Fullarton Distilleries and founder of Woodburns whisky, says, “India’s distinct obsession with Scotch whisky stems from our colonial past. But simply by virtue of being Scotch doesn’t make it world-class and this long-standing opinion needs to change. Although the whisky market is largely dominated by male consumers, there’s an increase in the number of women open to trying whisky. They are finally being represented as whisky drinkers and many of them are taking up spirits and tasting as a hobby. Woodburns aims to put India on the map of 100 per cent home-grown whisky.”

Paul John whisky introduced its most affordable world-class single malt, Nirvana, in the domestic market in 2019. Yangdup adds, “Indian Paul John whisky’s limited Christmas edition and more has an international presence.”

Market trends show that, at times, even the luxurious scotch and malts find it difficult to compete with the locally brewed whisky when it comes to volume.

THE ‘BREWTASTIC’ FIZZ

THErising consumption of Indian craft beer clearly indicates the love of the fizzy drink. Even among newbies —like Yavira, Kati Patang, Beor 360 or BeeYoung —the consumers have their own favourites. United Breweries Limited’s craft style beer, Kingfisher Ultra Witbier, brewed with authentic Belgian wheat beer recipe, has a refreshing and seasonal taste. Gurpreet Singh, head marketing, adds, “As consumer needs are growing across various categories and there’s been a favourable response towards Kingfisher Ultra Witbier, we thought of entering the capital market with our craft-styled beer. Keeping

the trend and taste palate in mind, we are using natural extracts of orange, coriander, spices sourced from Belgium and new world aromatic hops from USA.” The tricky thing with beer in India is that it sees a seasonal consumption.

Despite this, when in July, in the middle of pandemic, Beor 360 entered the market it performed surprisingly higher numbers than was expected. It brought the freshness of pristine Himalayan spring water from Bhutan with two variants —wheat and lager. Rishabh Ranjan, co-Founder says, “Our beer has top quality ingredients and uses pristine Himalayan spring water. Our pricing is extremely competitive vis-a-vis other imported brands. We are promoting a value product with exceptional taste and notes aligned with the Indian palate.” Another unusual name Bad Monkey Beer has also tiptoed in the market and is making its mark. Young and enthusiastic Rohan Khare, the mastermind behind this brand, says, he is more inclined to give a pallet-friendly taste that enhances the drinking experience. With the maturing market, this one places itself in the bracket of premium, strong and tasteful. Rohan believes that social media platforms are best for advertising the product.

FROM CORK TO CAN

THErecent wine revolution has seen cork being replaced by cans. With Fratelli and Sula both introducing canned wine —Tilt and Dia respectively —its consumption has got a new look and feel. Chaitanya Rathi, COO, Sula Vineyards is of the opinion “Dia is a much-loved brand. So when we thought of launching the country’s first wine in a can, it was the perfect choice. We wanted to create a wine sparkler that changes the way the country consumes the drink and makes for the perfect transitional drink from day to night in the most effortless and appeasing format of a can. No worrying about corkscrews or glasses, easy to carry, one can crack it open straight from the fridge. Dia epitomises the good life in a convenient way.” Unlike Tilt, Dia cans are only available in Maharashtra and Goa.

So, usher in this Valentine’s Day by raising a toast to the “Made in India” spirit.

Heliodorus’

at Vidisha

The over 2,000-years-old column documents an important chapter in the history of Takshashila, says KUSHAN MITRA

THEtown of Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh is most famous for being ‘Mamaji’s Home’ —Mamaji being Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the Chief Minister of the State. Even in a relatively lower population density area, the alleys of Vidisha are narrow and once inside, one would not know whether one is in MP or a city in the Gangetic plains. Manoeuvering a car inside these crowded streets requires not just the immense skill, that a lifetime of driving on narrow Indian streets brings one, but also a yogic sense of patience and calm to stop worrying about handcarts, cyclists, scooters or even other cars bumping against one’s own. On this front, the all-new Hyundai i20 that we were driving was a fabulous vehicle.

I was on my way to visit the legendary ‘Khamba Baba’. As you cross the Betwa river, on a narrow but modern bridge, to leave the town of Vidisha, through its anaj mandi (grain market), you reach some small hutments, buildings rather than slums, but not a middle-income area if the ubiquitous cow-dung patties are any indication. There, in the middle of all this, is a small park besides the river. A park with a pillar that does not seem extraordinary at first.

So what’s this pillar all about? It’s over 2,000-years-old and celebrates the conversion of Heliodorus, the Ambassador for the Kingdom of Takshashila, one of the many Indo-Greek kingdoms mainly centred around the region that we know as (undivided) Punjab today. These kingdoms came into being in the midst of Alexander, the Great’s final eastern conquests. Many of his generals, officers and men remained behind and divided up the territories. I should know all this because, being called Kushan, I’m named after the ruler of the largest and most successful of the Indo-Greek kingdoms.

Takshashila’s king, Antialkidas, sent Heliodorus to the court of King Bhagabhadra of Vidisha and upon his arrival Heliodorus became a worshipper of Vishnu. Of course, one should remember that in times past, there was much more religious fluidity than today, since most polytheistic religions had more similarities than differences.

According to the translation of the Brahmi script on the pillar, it reads: This Garuda column of Vasudeva (Vishnu), the god of gods, was erected here by Heliodorus, a worshipper of Vishnu, the son of Dion and an inhabitant of Takshashila who came as Greek ambassador from the Great King Antialkidas to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Saviour, then reigning prosperously in the 14th year of his kingship. Three important precepts when practiced lead to heaven: self-restraint, charity, conscientiousness.

What’s truly amazing about this pillar is that it survived. There must’ve been hundreds of such pillars across India. Maybe in ancient times it was akin to foreign dignitaries planting trees nowadays. When it was ‘rediscovered’ by British archaeologists in the late 1800s, the pillar was first ignored. It was only as British archaeologists got more involved into Indic culture that they realised its importance. It had become a temple of sorts as a ‘Baba’ (holy man) and locals venerated it without knowing its historical importance. That respect ensured that the pillar was not destroyed. That and, possibly, the fact that Madhya Pradesh isn’t as densely populated as the plains. The pillar and the Baba, which is why locals call it the ‘Khamba Baba’ (Holy Man Pillar), survived and the Baba performed an annual exorcism on a nearby tamarind tree by driving in a nail to predict about the coming year. The Baba agreed to shift from the site and the pillar was restored. The annual exorcism ritual still takes place.

What is fascinating is that the pillar is just so incongruous where it lies. There are other broken bits, maybe from other pillars or ancient monuments, scattered around the park. And as I walked in, the guard hired by Madhya Pradesh Tourism was about to lock up but he was friendly so he let me in and explained a bit about the pillar and the tree to us. He shared that the previous year, due to the pandemic, saw maybe 10-20 tourists on a regular day who halted enroute between Sanchi and the Udaygiri Caves or some other historical site in this region as central Madhya Pradesh is literally littered with tens of such amazing places.

This is also a reminder that there is history, sometimes, as interesting as this one. While we visit ancient sites across the world, we must make it a point to recognise our own history like this pillar. We could visit it, all thanks to Hyundai’s Great India Drive that lets us explore this great nation.

Bhopal might be known for its lakes, but even the way the city’s galleries document the history and culture ofCityof museums the country is exemplary, says KUSHAN MITRA

DRIVINGinto Bhopal from the airport road, you enter the city along the northern shore of the Upper Lake. At night, with the beautifully-lit waterfront and the bright lights of the small but impressive Raja Bhoj Setu, the city looks wonderful. It also helps that the wide boulevard of VIP Road has relatively orderly traffic by Indian standards. Across the Upper Lake, a neon sign reads ‘Welcome to the City of Lakes’. The several large reservoirs which dot the city and the surrounding countryside make Bhopal one of the prettiest cities in India. And it’s taking advantage of these water bodies by training the next generation of Indian water sports’ athletes. Every evening, on the southern bank of the Upper Lake, thousands of locals gather to walk up and down the shore front with street food vendors, performers and horse-drawn buggies all competing for one’s attention (and money).

At the southern bank lies the lower entrance to the Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya, translated as the ‘National Museum of Man’ although a more appropriate English name should be the National Anthropological Museum. The eye-popping place has the largest and most impressive collection of any Indian museum. Painstakingly put-together replicas of houses from various regions and a wonderful collection of sculptures

depicting traditional tribal myths of myriad indigenous peoples make the several outdoor sites a must-visit. It’s particularly true when we worry about homogenisation of culture, food and language in the country.

It’s such a vast space that one returns for a second time to see the fabulous indoor collection. The display in the reserve collection room in the indoor museum can fill up entire galleries in other nations. You would happily spend tens of dollars or euros to visit such a place abroad, yet, in Bhopal one room in a museum outdoes entire collections. This room is fantastic and you can see aspects of life from across the country, from clothes, cookware, sickles, threshers to weapons. Though, there are separate individual rooms where specific collections are kept and often rotated, like the room of masks right now. This is where you can see the role masks have played in story-telling across different regions. You see how different, yet how similar, masks across this diverse nation of ours are. Visiting this museum is a humbling experience and you would be happy if this was the only major museum in this city.

But no, after driving out in the all-new Hyundai i20 from the upper exit of the Manav Sanghralaya, one can quickly go to the twin state museums —The Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum and the Madhya Pradesh State Museum. The more modern Tribal Museum, in one of India’s larger states that historically had a huge number of indigenous tribes, is a celebration of culture. What’s remarkable is that few pieces are ancient but most of the artifacts are newly-created by tribal artisans which doesn’t just bring these stories to life but it ensures the continuity of the knowledge, the legends and the skills required to sustain these traditions. Sure, the lights inside the museum are a bit funky and you might think that you could be at a fancy nightclub , but some pieces —such as the exaggerated ceremonial bangle and the amazing story of ancestors —could adorn any modern art museum in the world.

The Madhya Pradesh State Museum too is brilliant. It isn’t modern and the entire place could use a lick of paint, better lighting and more information about the artifacts, but what a collection. It reminds us that history is all around us everywhere in India and we just have to scratch the surface. The vastness of the collection here means that you can’t see it in a single day but if you have any interest, whatsoever, in the history of our great country and landmass, this is one museum you must come and visit.

There are a lot of things to do in and around Bhopal. Other than the museums, the city has some fantastic sites and in the Old City, there are some great places to eat as well as more contemporary historical sites to visit. It isn’t the most ‘happening’ city, when it comes to nightlife, but it is one that every Indian should make a point to visit.