Say ‘cheers’ with milk

A campaign organised outside the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur encouraged youth to choose milk over liquor to ring in the New Year

Milky way: The campaign has inspired a dairy to contribute milk. Photos: Abha Sharma

Amidst the glossy hoardings and ads luring the city with attractive packages for gala New Year eve, fun and frolic, a hoarding outside the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur offers something different to usher in the New Year. In response to the open invitation, hundreds of students make a beeline at the university gate and say ‘cheers’ with a glass of milk.

Daru nahin, doodh ke saath karen nav varsh ki shuruat (start the new year not with liquor but milk) — urge the hoarding put up by the Asthma Care Society and Rajasthan Yuva Chhatra Sansthan. Both the organisations had started the ‘milky tradition’ in the Pink City about a decade back.

The idea was to motivate youngsters to abstain from liquor and encourage them to adopt healthy options, says Dharmveer Katewa, associated with the Asthma Care Society. The Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg is an education hub since the university and its constituent colleges are situated here. A decade back, it was full of frenzied revellers, who often clashed with each other or met with accidents due to drunken driving, Dharmveer claims.

“We wanted to create awareness and convey the message that drinking is not the only way to start the New Year. If the students make it a New Year resolve to say ‘no’ to alcohol, it would be good for them,” he adds as he feels that excessive consumption of liquor on the particular night results in unruly scenes n the campus.

So we decided to start a symbolic tradition by offering hot milk sprinkled with dry fruits and sugar — served in kulhars (earthen glasses) — at the university gate.

The idea of promoting

doodh instead of

daru did not instantly interest the youngsters however. The organisers had to initially plead with passers-by, acquaintances and friends to join the camp and drink milk. But their efforts and patience paid off eventually. Now even the students’ union actively participates in the milk distribution programme.

Both the organisations had started the programme with their own resources or contributions from friends. But for the last three years, Saras Dairy, one of the biggest milk cooperative societies in Rajasthan, has been supplying milk for the event. Last year, 20,000 glasses of milk were distributed, recalls Mahendra Sharma of Yuva Chhatra Sansthan. The Saras Dairy provided 7,000 litres of milk for the New Year eve programme this year.

“ Daru nahin doodh is a modest attempt to create awareness amongst the youth to abstain from drinking,” Mahendra says, claiming that both the university administration and the police admit that there is a remarkable improvement in the atmosphere on the campus after the milk campaign.

Though everyone knows liquor consumption is not good for health, still the youth have a false notion that liquor is inevitable for the New Year celebrations. We are trying to break the myth,” he adds.

The milky campaign has already showed positive results with 40 liquor shops in Jaipur putting up the banner of Daru nahin doodh this year. Many residential colonies also have started holding the programme in their respective localities.