BENGALURU: On Tuesday, Twitteratis showered their tributes for the man behind Old Monk rum- Brigadier Kapil Mohan - who passed away on January 6. Kapil was 88-years-old, and his body was cremated on January 7. Kapil Mohan, who took over the business from his father Mohan Meakin, created Old Monk- a dark rum which became a hit in a small span of time. He was awarded a Padma Shri - the fourth highest Indian civilian award in 2010.
As soon as the news broke out, #oldmonk and #KapilMohan started trending in many parts of the country including Bengaluru.Ronnie Mukherjee tweeted, "Dear #KapilMohan , you were there everytime. For all the laughs and cries through storms and floods. You came up, held my hand and pushed me. Thankyou #KapilMohan for #oldmonk."Another twitterati- Animesh Roy posted, "The monk in us will be ever grateful of ur soulful contribution for curing our aching hearts. Cheers, Kapil Mohan Ji."
Virendra tweeted, "So many memories and counting, Still remember fighting on Nukad with chiller Year 2002 get #OldMonk quarter @ Rs 40. Chana Masala @ ` 5. 2 Chota Gold flake @ ` 5.Gum Ka sathi Rum."
Anup P said, “Whether it was celebrating engineering results,birthdays or send-offs its all incomplete without bottles of #OldMonk. RIP to #KapilMohan."Talking about their first time drinking the iconic alcohol, Kaavya S, a graphic designer, says that the first time she tried it was in college.
"Old monk was the only affordable alcohol back when we were in college, and so easily available too. Some of our best college memories revolve around bunking classes and going to the nearby pub and spending hours there with peanuts and chilli chicken."
Chinnu Vinod, a media professional, says Old Monk brings several memories with friends together. She believes it is the most preferred alcohol as it is cheap and tastes good too."One evening, we friends got together and were drinking. We were pretty loud. Our neighbours complained to the police team that was patrolling in the area around 11 pm. They threw stones at our windows. We kept quiet and switched off the lights for a while. After they left, we started drinking again," she recalls.
Smooth, dark rum
This dark rum was launched in 1954 from a distillery in Ghaziabad. The best batches are aged for a minimum of seven years and the liquor’s loyalists say that this is what makes it smooth and mellow. Retired Brigadier Kapil Mohan, who passed away on Tuesday, was the chairman and MD of the rum’s distillery Mohan Meakin.