150
His mother was distantly connected with our
family, and so I learned all about him. He
once travelled as a mendicant from Calcutta
to Cuttack. I gave him money to return to
Calcutta, but instead of returning he smoked
ganja and was found nearly dead in the streets.
He had not drunk liquor then. I took him home
and he was examined by a Hospital Assistant,
who said that he was at the point of death from
the use of ganja. The Hospital Assistant gave
this opinion in answer to our questions.
62. Evidence of BABU KANTI BHUSHAN SEN, Baidya, Special Excise Deputy
Collector of Cuttack.
1. I was placed in charge of the Excise Depart¬
ment, Cuttack, on the 26th September 1891, and
have since made a series of enquiries relating to
ganja which grows in the Gurjats or Tributary
States of Orissa and is commonly known as Gurjat
ganja.
2. The definition of siddhi, bhang, subji or
patti, as given by Dr. Prain, is correct. The term
commonly used in the Cuttack district for it is
patti. There is no charas shop in the district, and
charas is not known to be used here. I have no
special knowledge about it.
The definitions of the different varieties of ganja
as given by Dr. Prain, apply to the ganja pro¬
duced in Rajshahi. The Rajshahi ganja is used
here, and the varieties are known here under the
same names. It has been stated by Dr. Prain that
" the formation of seeds is prevented by the de¬
struction of all male plants." A very large quan¬
tity of seeds is found in the bales of ganja, im¬
ported from Rajshahi, so the formation of seeds
does not appear to be successfully prevented. A
very curious fact has been noticed peculiar to
these seeds found in the Rajshahi ganja. I have
been assured by those who raised plants from these
seeds in the Cuttack district that they uniformly
found them to produce male plants, and if they at
all produced female plants they were abortive in
their flowers, so that only patti and no ganja
could be obtained from them.
3. Hemp plants grow in some parts of Bengal
spontaneously, from which siddhi or patti is ob¬
tained. I have seen them in the districts of
Jessore and Faridpur. In the Tributary States
of Orissa they, specially the female or ganja-
producing plants, grow more spontaneously than
in Bengal. I have found them abundant in the
Tributary State of Khandpara.
4. In Bengal they are known by the name of
siddhi or bhang plants, and in Orissa as ganja
(female) and patti (male) plants. The siddhi
plant of Bengal and the patti plant of Orissa
appear to be identical.
5. The wild plant of Orissa generally grows
towards the close of the rains, and thrives well in
a mild climate and loamy soil. Sandy and very
moist soils are unsuited for its growth. Usual
rains at intervals promote its growth. As regards
elevation above sea-level, I have seen it grow on
hill-tops as well as in the plains. So long as the
soil is moderately dry and loamy, and the climate
not very hot, the elevation above sea-level does not
appear to affect its growth.
6. Generally scattered.
7. Ganja is cultivated in very large quantities
in the Rajshahi district. But, as I have no
personal knowledge of its cultivation in that
district, I shall confine my further replies to
Gurjat ganja and patti referred to above.
(a) Yes; in the Tributary States of Orissa.
(b) No.
(c) Yes; in the Tributary States of Orissa.
(d) No.
As my enquiries relating to Gurjat ganja were
confined to about three miles of the frontier in
the Gurjats, I cannot say to what extent it is
produced. But the quantity is sufficient to meet
the local demand as well as the demand of the
consumers in the British territory who live along
the frontier. Besides this, a few maunds are
imported into the district of Puri and elsewhere.
8. I think there has been some increase in the
area under such cultivation in the Gurjats. In
Government of Bengal Order No. 165-T., dated
the 19th October 1878, the cultivation of Gurjat
ganja in the Tributary States within three miles
of the frontier was prohibited. But subsequently
this prohibition was withdrawn in Government of
Bengal Order No. E. 1.-G./2 4, dated the 6th Sep¬
tember 1889; since which the cultivation in the
Tributary States appears to have been on the in¬
crease, as is known by the falling off in the con¬
sumption of Rajshahi ganja from 141 maunds
7 seers 12 chittacks in 1889-90 to 112 maunds
21 seers 9 chittacks in 1892-93. The last year's
incidence on account of duty and license fees per
seer of Rajshahi ganja is about Rs. 15, while in
the Tributary States no such license fee or duty
is realized, and ganja is usually sold from Rs. 2-8
to Rs. 4-8 a seer. A portion of the falling-off is,
no doubt, due to the high incidence of Rajshahi
ganja. As there is no licit consumption of Gurjat
ganja in the Cuttack district, a great quantity
is being smuggled into the British territory along
the frontier. Twenty-three cases of such smug¬
gling have been detected during the half-year
ending 30th September 1893.
9. The plants (Gurjat ganja and patti) grow
spontaneously from the preceding year's seeds, and
are also cultivated within the enclosed premises of
the people of the Gurjats. The plants grow towards
the close of the rainy season, and take about six
months before the flowers are sufficiently matured.
The plants are then felled, and left to dry for
three to five days, after which the twigs contain¬
ing the flowers are collected and tied into bundles.
This is Gurjat ganja. The leaves of these plants
(female) as well as those of the male plants are
also collected and used as patti.
10. In the Gurjats, i.e., the Tributary States of
Orissa, almost all the consumers grow ganja plants,
and as men belonging to the different castes from
the Brahmin to the Pan (a very low aboriginal
class) are found amongst the consumers, the culti-
vation is not restricted to any special class.
11. Yes, in the Gurjats.
12. Yes, in the Gurjats I have found them in
the Tributary States of Keonjhar, Dhenkanal,
Atgarh, Tigriah, Baramba, and Khandpara. As
to the extent, vide latter portion of my reply to
question No. 7. In the Gurjats the male plants
are not extirpated.