India, July 26 -- Madira is a beautiful word that comes our way from the Sanskrit language and stands for all that is pleasant and as sweet as honey, but it refers to the bitter truth of intoxicating liquor and the havoc it plays with human lives and more so with the lives of women caught in the mesh of the patriarchal social structures. This is the concern of 'Madira', a mint-fresh book narrating anonymously the untold stories of women and alcohol, put together by tricity-based author-translator and activist Roopam Singh.

The queen of tragedy

Before exploring the stories it presents, let us look at the story of a great woman who was known and admired by all and often referred to as the "Tragedy Queen" of the Indian cinema.

Yes, you ar...