A footpath outside the oldest department store in the city transforms into an open bar every evening—according to a front-page report in this paper—with large groups drinking in the open till late night. Fried snacks and boiled eggs are being hawked as accompaniments.

This paper visited the spot one evening to see at least 30 people, including minors, consuming alcohol. The crowd gradually increased with every passing hour. It seemed like a party, with some people shaking a leg with those drinking. Small shops acted as ancillaries by selling snacks and glasses to the tipplers. There was a hawker who even hilariously claimed that people preferred eating boiled eggs with drinks as they are considered healthy. Yet, the fact that liquor is unhealthy did not seem to occur to this person or the people who seem to be consuming eggs for health reasons.