Author(s):
Zoran Pavlovic* - Oklahoma State University
Aswin Subanthore - Oklahoma State University
Abstract:
Although wine has been widely present in South Asia since ancient times, its role in Hindu lifestyle fell under the category of a major religious taboo. In India, the origin of wine consumption followed paths of cultural exchange with Greeks and later with Romans. Wine also diffused from China during the Mughal reign when it was used as a representative medium to denote status and class at social events. In southern India, wine production was indigenous prior to contact with Aryans and continued despite Hindu religious laws denoting alcohol ban on so-called moral grounds. Sanskrit scriptures and Hindu beliefs indicated that drinking was a pathway to distraction from reaching God-realization. With the European colonial influence, however, a major shift occurred in Hindu ideology among the upper caste members who perceived wine as an important indicator of status and class within the Hindu hierarchy. British colonization not only improved wine trade but several non-Hindu groups emerged to facilitate this process. Popular culture generated major changes in recent times, both in the area of viticulture, per se, and as a contemporary cultural and social phenomenon. Increased impact from South Asian Diaspora and globalization on India's society has necessitated wine consumption among all sections of Hindu population as a facet of interaction with the Western world.
