162
temperate in their habits, and do not use any
narcotic at all; but the ordinary run of orthodox
Hindus, accustomed to have their little excite¬
ments, use bhang for the purpose without incur¬
ring any opprobrium attached to the use of
spirituous liquors. Bhang is the up-country
people's favourite drink.
Classes—
Proportion of
people who
eat.
Proportion of
people who
drink.
(1) Bhadralok and high caste up-
country people, Brahmins,
and Chhatri, who do not
drink wine and smoke
ganja, generally use bhang
5 per cent. 30 per cent.
(2) Pandas and Mahantas at
Tarakeswar and Baidya-
nath who have a prejudice
against liquor
10
"
70
"
(3) Traders (Sahus of Dacca)
5
"
15
"
(4) Bengali high caste people
2
"
10 "
(5) Muhammadans
10
"
5
"
Bhang is drunk in all localities. It is eaten by
some of the higher class people in Calcutta in the
form of pastry, such as bhang kachuri (bhang is
mixed with the pastry made of flour, spices, boiled
pulses, etc., and then fried in ghi—(clarified butter),
bhang kulpi (bhang ice cream, bhang smashed
and mixed with condensed milk, sugar, rose-
water, aniseed, etc., and then frozen), and in the
form of majum. (Boiled with ghi over water, the
leaves part with a portion of their peculiar re¬
sin to the ghi, which floats on the water in the
form of a green jelly. A portion of this jelly
mixed with dried milk and syrup over a fire pro¬
duces a paste, which readily hardens when cooled.
and it is then cut into small tablets. This is called
majun or majum, which is a favourite form of
taking the drug.) Dr. O'Shaughnessy has given
a detailed account of the preparation of majum in
his Bengal Dispensatory, Vol. I, page 583.
Bhang used for drinking.—Dr. O'Shaughnessy
in his Bengal Dispensatory, pages 582 and 583,
gives a description of how bhang is drunk and its
effect on the system.
The dried leaves are repeatedly washed to re¬
move the green colouring matter; then pounded
into a fine paste with a few grains of aniseed
diluted with water, and drunk as a refreshing
draught. The quantity taken at a time varies
from quarter to one tola of the dried leaves.
Dried rose leaves pounded, black pepper, rose-
water, and sugar are added to the draught accord¬
ing to taste. To the uninitiated a draught of a
tola is enough to produce strong intoxication with
a tendency to laughter, great thirst, and constric¬
tion of the throat, followed by a peculiar sensation
of everything tumbling upside down and protact-
ed sleep; but those who are accustomed to the
drink feel nothing beyond a pleasant sensation of
intoxication, with a more or less obliviousness of
all mundane cares. The effect, however, varies
greatly according to constitution and tempera¬
ment.
25. The use of ganja, charas and bhang is on the
decrease. The statistics show that the consumption
has decreased by half during the last twenty years,
and that the consumption has not increased with
the increase of population. The decrease is due to
high retail selling price on account of increase of
duty and license fees. Formerly a large number
of respectable people used to consume ganja on
account of religious prejudice, but now they have
taken to drinking.
Ganja.
Per cent.
Bhang.
Per cent.
Charas.
Per cent.
26. (a) Habitual
moderate consumers 75
30
70
(b) Habitual ex-
cessive consumers
10
5
5
(c) Occasional
moderate consumers 14
60
23
(d) Occasional
excessive consumers
1
5
2
27. Ganja.—Classes.—
(a) Habitual moderate.—Fishermen, culti¬
vators, coolies|and day-labourers, singers
(jatrawalas), boatmen, mehters, domes,
prostitutes, artizans, blacksmiths cooks,
etc.
Habits of life, etc.—These are all poor people,
and cannot pay for country spirit. It
is used as a narcotic to relieve fatigue
and exposure to damp climate, sun,
rain and fire, as a preventive against
rheumatism, fever, etc., on account of
religious prejudice against country
spirit (as Muhammadans).
(b) Habitual excessive.—Sanyasi, bairagi,
fakir, ramait, etc. These people give
up worldly pleasures and enjoyments
and temporal concerns. For concen¬
tration of thought and for forgetting
all worldly cares and anxieties, for
control over the passions and as a pre¬
ventive against diseases consequent on
exposure, climatic influence, on ac¬
count of religious prejudice against
country spirit, on account of its cheap
price, and on account of the holy senti¬
ment attached to the smoking of the
drug (a favourite intoxicant of the
god of gods—Siva) ganja is used.
(c) Occasional moderate—Bhadralok young
people in Trinath mela, newly initiated
(beginners).
Ganja is smoked for the purpose of intoxi¬
cation and for aphrodisiac purposes. It
is used by young men of loose morals,
who cannot pay for the high price of
country spirit. Young people who are
afraid of being detected of drinking
liquor and being looked down upon by
society, or being admonished by their
elders, sometimes smoke ganja as a safe
narcotic. Young people suffering from
venereal diseases learn to consume ganja
in order to allay the pain, suffering, and
uneasiness attending on the disease.
(d) Occasional excessive.—Sanyasis, bairagis,
fakirs, and baishnavas on the occasion
of Mohotsob, Baulmela, etc. Rheumatic
patients, lepers, and ashmatic patients
smoke to alleviate pain and deaden the
sensation. People suffering from colic,
asthma, and other painful diseases,
venereal diseases, etc.
Habits, etc.—For intoxicating purpose. In
honour of god Siva for religious pur¬
poses. Moderate habitual cosumers
sometimes become excessive consumers
for drowning sorrow, etc., to allay pain
as from leprosy, venereal diseases, etc.
Bhang.—(a) Habitual moderate.—High caste
up-country people and bhadralok who
do not drink liquor, and who are suffer¬
ing from bowel-complaints, and for
aphrodisiac purposes.