Bihar prohibition: Alcoholic turns counsellor, reclaims family
SASARAM: An alcoholic for more than a quarter century, middle-aged Jai Govind Singh has today kicked the habit. At 51, the man from southwest Bihar runs a deaddiction centre in Sasaram.
The dramatic change is courtesy chief minister Nitish Kumar’s implementation of prohibition — an election promise.
Singh, who married three decades ago, saw several twists in his drunkard-tocounsellor story.
A couple of years after he wedded Vijayanta Devi in 1985, he became a regular drinker and wife-beater.
“So much so, my wife abandoned me in 2003 along with our infant daughter Ishika,” he recalled.
The desertion made things worse for Singh. He sank into a cocktail of alcohol and narcotics, wearing black and declaring himself a sadhu. The wayward ways earned him the nickname of ‘Dhongi Baba’.
Then, 13 years later, the present regime clamped prohibition from April 1. It forced Singh to fight withdrawal symptoms. “A well-wisher advised me to consume hot milk with turmeric at night. The tip worked,” he said.
Emerging from 27 years of alcoholism, a new life beckoned Singh but he was clouded by remorse.
The man wanted his family back.
Ishika, having grown into a 17-year-old, took the initiative for the family reunion. Her mother put up a demand: she would return to her husband with a ‘baarat’.
The couple remarried on April 18.
On August 15, Singh opened ‘Dhongi Baba Nasha Mukti Paramarsh Kendra’ at Mahaddiganj in
Sasaram town.
“My only mission now is to provide education for my daughter and help people quit the addiction. I have convinced 14 addicts so far,” he added. Devi added, “Our CM reunited us.”