OMR for the daft ones, Old Monk Rum

Lalita Iyer Musings

I am writing about two issues. One because it hurts my soul and affects me immediately.

The other issue worries me a little, as a citizen of Hyderabad. The finest people living in this world drink Old Monk Rum. It has been my constant companion for a long, long, so long time. Luckily for me the husband's choice of liquor is also the finest. And now it is in news for all the wrong reasons. Are there reasons for why you get attached to anything in particular? I love OMR, 'just because.' I am going to stick to that only because if I start numeralising about the 'whys', it will overshoot my word count.

When I say companion, I mean like a soul mate. Quiet yet tantalizing, strong yet malleable, dark yet light, heady yet pliant and you are now getting the point.  Small village liquor shops have woken out of their brandy stupor after watching me mix my rum for a taxi ride. Clubs which swore over their so-called expensive liquor now keep a bottle of OMR, to give the bar that certain uplift.

Those watching our borders in the coldest part of the world, in Siachen borders swear by it. And I can even swear, that one peg of OMR can get you out of your oldest, darkest depression, even while making a poet out of you. But being a girl loving her tipple, this was the best drink to travel with. Taxi drivers have been known to stop outside a liquor shop even as the sun set.

Premix OMR with Coke and any journey turns memorable.  There once was a legendary Irish-bred racehorse Red Rum, who won the prestigious Grand National three times during the 1970s. Because his name literally contains the word "rum" (and spells "murder" backwards), people humorously suggest that horses share a fondness for the spirit." Thank you Chat GPT. Many tales to tell and better told over OMR. But I am yet to clearly know why OMR is facing this major regulatory controversy?

Done and dusted

The second issue is when I read that the Karnataka cabinet has decided to withdraw the controversial Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Because of public protests. Good for the Bangloreans. What is bothersome though is that the Telangana government did not even acknowledge the protestors outside of the Kasu Brahmananda Park (KBR Park), when the public did not want the various flyovers, subways around the perimeter of the Park. They brought in the cranes and started digging. Period.

Though another newspaper reported "Karnataka Cabinet scraps controversial Parks Bill after protests. Deputy CM Parameshwara says bill will be redrafted, put in public domain ..." As per the provisions of the amendment bill 5% of government park land area was allowed to be alienated to government departments, statutory bodies and local bodies and the Bangalore people rose as one and said "No way." I think the Telangana government heard our protests as "One way."

– Lalita Iyer 

  Senior Journalist