Dedication,
Acknowledgements -
List of Abbreviations -
Note on Translation -
Introduction. Setting the Stage -
1. The Madras Abkari Act of 1886 -
2. Congress Nationalism, Provincial Politics, and the Road to Prohibition -
3. The Development of a Prohibition Culture and Ideal -
4. The Prose of Subaltern Alcoholism and Prohibitioning -
5. Liquor Businesses and The Business of Prohibition -
6. Enforcing the Madras Prohibition Act -
7. Prohibition in Independent India -
Conclusion -
Bibliography.

'What happens when a democratic state—still in the process of formation—commits to banning a substance, especially one as controversial as alcohol? This book traces the origins and evolution of alcohol prohibition in India, drawing on extensive archival research and rich vernacular sources to explain its surprising resilience over time. Since its inception, prohibition has served both as an ideal and a tool of state power—a dual role that has worked to shape its shifting trajectories. Each phase of enforcement has served to reaffirm prohibition's founding logic, thereby further embedding it in the machinery of governance—even as it has constrained its future implementation. Foregrounding intersections with caste and gender, the book illuminates how diverse social responses have made prohibition a deeply contested—sobering—yet enduring project. While prohibition may be a thing of the past in the West, history helps to keep it alive in India.'
Includes inter- and multi-disciplinary perspectives, showing how different disciplines interact
Draws extensive archival research and rich vernacular sources