India, June 21 -- I won't deny I enjoy a little tipple. In fact, of an evening, I often look forward to it. In Cambridge, Saturdays were occasions to drink. Many of my friends would want to get smashed. But I'm now too old for such youthful frolic. A measured, controlled drink suits me perfectly.

You can, therefore, guess that I'm not a supporter of the teetotalism forcibly imposed on Gujarat and Bihar. And if you tell me that many of the denizens of these states are also opposed to it, I wouldn't be surprised. People, I believe, should be free to do what they want within the limits of the law. Drinking is not a crime. But nor should it be compulsory. That's the point, believe it or not, I want to make today.

The good people of Ladakh w...