Shyamal had made up her mind. Even if Amar was the only person in the world she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, she would break off her relationship with him if he went on a drinking binge with his friends that evening.

Shyamal has not stopped worrying since that morning when Amar sheepishly told her he was having an evening out with his friends. She knew the dhaba on the highway where they planned to go. It was Chandni Bar, and she was not that naive to believe there would be no drinking there.

Shyamal was terrified. She had left Amar in a huff that morning and refused to answer his messages. She refused to even meet his eyes when he brought dahi and jalebi as a peace offering. She was well aware that he had stood for hours outside her window hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But she was not having any of it and she had banged her windows shut…

Shymal and Amar’s story is part of Meri Pyaari Zindagi, a series of audio stories, video stories and memes. Neelesh Misra, founder of Gaon Connection, uses the powerful tool of story telling to address the ever present and ever growing threat to physical and mental health in the country brought about, among other things, by alcohol abuse in both the young and the old. According to the World Health Organization, in 2016, the harmful use of alcohol resulted in some three million deaths (5.3 per cent of all deaths) worldwide.

Also Read: ‘Meri Pyaari Zindagi’: Gaon Connection and WHO’s joint campaign on alcohol abuse

Gaon Connection, India’s biggest rural media platform, collaborated with the WHO South-East Asia (WHO SEARO) for a social campaign against alcohol abuse. Doolha Dilwala about Amar and Shyamal is one of the stories in the series, Meri Pyari Zindagi. 

Meanwhile, at Shyamal’s home, late that evening, around 9 pm, Shyamal sat with her mother in the garden, her thoughts full of Amar. He was in the final year of college after which she hoped he would become a teacher at the village school and they could get married then.

Just then, shattering the quiet of the night, was a loud and drunken voice singing a song and a man staggered past their home. As they watched, the man lost his footing and fell. Before they could react, a motor bike roared past. Shyamal recognised them as Amar’s classmates. 

Also Read: These kids were once beggars, drug addicts. Then their lives changed for good

“Look at these irresponsible boys. What if they have an accident. They are not bothered about either themselves of their loved ones waiting for them at home,” Shyamal’s mother snapped.

Shyamal’s blood ran cold at the thought. She sent up a prayer hoping Amar had not taken his vehicle to the dhaba.

Just then a cheerful voice called out to her mother. It was Amar on his cycle. “Mausi, I just came to hand over some notes to Shyamal,” he said.   

Shyamal sprung up and went up to Amar. Before she could say anything to him, he interrupted her. “You thought just because the others would drink, I would too? I know how to say ‘no’. I know how to refuse a drink. My friends did try and force me but I did not drink,” he said to Shyamal in a low voice. 

“I care about my health. I care about life and you,” Amar said. Shyamal stood speechlessly, thinking how she had, in that instant, fallen in love all over again with Amar, her doolha dilwala!