[This review was published in The Tribune on 12th Jan. 2025]
BOOK REVIEW- “ANANDA- AN EXPLORATION OF CANNABIS IN INDIA” by Karan Madhok.
ON THE CANNABIS TRAIL
This is a rather unusual book, grafted on the back of the author’s travels in elevent states in pursuit of his research on the cannabis plant and its derivatives- ganja, hemp, bhang, hashish and charas. Most of us have a nodding, if not sniffing, acquaintance with cannabis but know little about its botanical structure, origins, history, economics, legality, religious connection or medicinal value. Karan Madhok has dug deep to educate us on these aspects, but in a manner which is personal, anecdotal and sometimes humorous.
We learn that the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is a chemical called THC, and the higher the THC the more potent the drug. The plant consists of the stem and the flower, it is the latter that contains the highest concentration of THC, from which the hashish and charas are produced, and hence banned in India. The stem has a very low level of the chemical, from which bhang and ganja and hemp are derived and these are legal. The hemp is used for making ropes, baskets, footwear, clothing etc. and is an important part of the economy of the Himalayan villages such as Malana in Himachal, whose Malana Cream is acknowledged to be among the finest in the world. There are also the Idukki Gold of Kerala, Sheelavathi of Odisha and Koraput Purple of the Andhra-Odisha border. Whether in its potent or weaker form, cannabis has been used for centuries for medicine, recreation, nutrition, and has a deep connection with religion.
The United Nations estimates that 4.3% of adults consume cannabis, it is the most widely used, cultivated and trafficked illicit substance in the world. But states are ramping up the pressure to legalise controlled cultivation of cannabis for medicinal, scientific and industrial purposes and to amend the NDPS Act. Uttarakhand has already done this to some extent and Himachal too has passed a resolution to this effect in September this year. Such a measure could revolutionise the economies of these states and create huge employment opportunities in agriculture, processing and transportation sectors.
Supported by statistics and independent studies, the author raises a pertinent point: is the state justified in spending humungous amounts of financial, administrative and judicial resources in enforcing the NDPS Act on drugs like cannabis? Is this even serving any purpose? The kingpins of the drug cartels are never caught, it is only the “foot soldiers”- the impoverished farmer, the carrier, the middleman- who are convicted and imprisoned. The Act gives the police and other agencies a blank cheque to harass and extort money (as in the Aryan Khan case) and breeds corruption. The draconian prohibition of these milder and organic drugs is driving the youth to harder, more dangerous, chemical formulations; (the author points to the epidemic of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is reportedly responsible for two thirds of drug related deaths in the USA and is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged eighteen to forty nine). And finally, he argues, this harsh policy is also depriving the state of billions of dollars of revenue, and denying livelihood opportunities to the poorest farmers in the most backward, forested and hilly areas where the plant thrives. We should learn from the USA where half the states have already legalised cannabis, and a state like California earns about US$ 6 billion (Rs. 50000 crore) annually by licensing its use and consumption.
For me the most interesting part of the book is where the author details the connection between ganja/ bhang and India’s syncretic culture and religion. For, as he puts it brilliantly, “much like the Indian constitution, cannabis is secular” and representative of the “Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb.”
Religion: cannabis is associated with all major religions of India- it is extolled by Persian poets as a “heavenly guide”, considered by some Muslim sects as the embodiment of the spirit of the prophet Khidr in whose honour the Sufis consume it; in Tantric Buddhism it is extolled for its medicinal powers; the Sikh Nihangs refer to it as Sukha prasad and it is consumed during the Hola Mohalla festivities (even though Guru Nanak is supposed to have opposed its consumption). It is almost at the core of Hinduism, associated with practically all its major Gods- Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Balrama, Hanuman, Jagannath in one way or the other, and its festivals-Holi, Khumb, Shivratri, Vijaya Dasmi, Trinath Puja. It is offered to the Gods, or consumed in many forms, at many major temples across the breadth of the country.
Food: bhang is to be found in many of the favourite dishes/drinks in many states- ice-cream, laddoos, gajar ka halwa, suji ka halwa, Christmas plum pudding, pakoras, panipuri, rosogolla, majaun (a confection enjoyed by Babur).
Bollywood: the Zeenat Aman song “Dum Maro Dum” in the film Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1973) has become the cannabis anthem for the nation, defining the nous of a whole generation. Since then the association has stuck with the Hindi film industry, for better or worse, through Aap Ki Kasam (Rajesh Khanna, 1974), Silsila (Amitabh Bacchan, 1980), Yeh Jawaani Hai Diwanee (Deepika Padukone, 2013), culminating in the drug related controversies of Sushant Singh Rajput and Aryan Khan. As the author observes, we have a Janus faced attitude to cannabis- we both worship and villainise it, there’s a thin line between spirituality and sin!
Madhok also gives us a thumb-nail account of the history and geographical spread of cannabis, beginning with Columbus arriving in America wearing a hemp jacket! We learn that more than fifty nations have legalised or decriminalised the plant for medicinal and industrial purposes, and are reaping the benefits in terms of revenue, tourism, reduced alcohol consumption, employment and treatment of various chronic diseases. There is a huge global market for hemp products ranging from textiles, furnishings, construction materials to ropes, paints and plastic substitutes. India is not even a player in this market, with its share of the global trade at just 0.0002%. He cautions that if we do not quickly revise our NDPS centered policy on cannabis we shall miss this bus completely. Small beginnings have been made- there are about one hundred start-ups in areas such as ayurvedic medicines, wellness centers, restaurants, textiles etc.- but this is not even scratching the surface of the vast potential that this, our very own Indian plant, offers.
The author’s final message? That it is time to reclaim the cultural, religious and medicinal heritage of cannabis as our own, before it is expropriated by other countries. We have to look back to look forward, he says. But is anyone listening?
| The author retired from the IAS in December 2010. A keen environmentalist and trekker he has published a book on high altitude trekking in the Himachal Himalayas: THE TRAILS LESS TRAVELLED.
His second book- SPECTRE OF CHOOR DHAR is a collection of short stories based in Himachal that was published in July 2019. His third book was released in August 2020: POLYTICKS, DEMOCKRAZY AND MUMBO JUMBO is a compilation of satirical and humorous articles on the state of our nation. His fourth book was published in July 2021. INDIA: THE WASTED YEARS – chronicles all the missed opportunities in the last nine years. His fifth book – THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER’S DOG AND OTHER COLLEAGUES – released in September 2023, portrays the lighter side of life in the IAS and in Himachal. He published his sixth book, DISAPPEARING DEMOCRACY-DISMANTLING OF A NATION in March 2024; it is a commentary on events from 2021 to the present, a sequel to THE WASTED YEARS. Shukla writes for various publications and websites on the environment, governance and social issues. He divides his time between Delhi and his cottage in a small village above Shimla. He blogs at avayshukla.blogspot.com |
