495
30. The consumption of ganja is generally
practised in company. A smoker, instead of
finishing one chillum (a pipeful) all by himself,
prefers to share it with his associates. He takes
a few whiffs first, then passes it on to another to
take rest, and then smokes again, and when it is
over, enjoys a pipe of tobacco with his associates.
Bhang or siddhi is, however, taken in solitude as
well as in company. A curious case of ganja
smoking in company came to my notice in con-
nection with a criminal prosecution in the Court
of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Nator some
years ago. There is a Kali-bari at Baksor near
Nator, where people annually gather in large
number for bathing purposes on the Baruni ganga-
snan day in Choitra. An old, ill-tempered
Bengali sanyasi, who called himself Gosain Rup-
Giri, used to reside in the Kali-bari as its high
priest. In the evening previous to the Baruni
snan day, he, in company with several others,
some of whom belonged to the respectable classes,
and two of whom were boys aged from fifteen
to eighteen years, was indulging in ganja freely.
There was a young prostitute of seventeen or
eighteen years of age who was seated in the
centre, and the votaries were sitting in a circle
round her while smoking on freely. Sometime
after the votaries fell fighting with each other
with the iron tongs of the sanyasi and with the
walking sticks of his visitors; in course of the
fight the sanyasi lost two of his foreteeth, got an
arm fractured, and received several other injuries.
In course of his deposition before the Court, the
sanyasi, who was the complainant in the case,
called this smoking in a circle a siddhi chakra,
meaning thereby smoking of ganja and bhang in
that peculiar way. The man was an excessive
smoker of ganja beyond doubt and was ugly,
rough looking, irritative and half crazy, and
wicked.
The habit of smoking ganja is not confined to
males or to adults alone. Sometimes young boys
and low prostitutes are also found addicted to it.
Bhang is used indiscriminately by the males as
well as by the females, and its use is not looked
upon as a social vice, nor does its use expose the
votary to any considerable degree of censure.
Unlike ganja, bhang is taken in solitude as well
as in company. But bhang does not count so
many habitual votaries as does ganja.
The last clause of this question, namely, "Is it
usual for children to consume any of these drugs ?"
seems to me rather misleading. As the question
stands it must be answered in the negative, but
still it is not very unusual to find children addict-
ed to, or occasionally indulging in, ganja or
bhang.
31. The formation of a habit to consume all
intoxicating substances, as a rule, depends more
on the nature of the individual votary than on
any special attractive inherent quality in the
substance. All intoxicating substances are more
or less poisonous in their physiological effects, and
do produce unpleasant and even distressing feel-
ings to the person who takes any of them for the
first time. The first impression produced is,
therefore, anything but pleasant or tempting to
the novice. Even habitual consumers of intoxi-
cating substances admit that they suffered more
than they enjoyed when they first took the subs-
tance. I am informed by several smokers of
ganja that all of them when they were initiated
into the practice, felt a burning sensation down
the throat, a giddiness and general feeling of
intoxication, which were distressing and terrifying
and in some cases led to complete stupefaction for
some time. It is therefore, prima facie, the
character of the votary rather than that of the
drug which leads to the formation of a habit
of smoking ganja or charas. The habit, however,
can be easily formed by the smokers of tobacco.
Unlike the habit of smoking opium, this habit
may be broken off easily if the votary is placed
under restraint. I have found ganja smokers
behaving well without their drug when laid up
with severe illness and confined to bed. The late
Dr. Chevers observed in his Manual of Medical
Jurisprudence for India, page 222, that he had
never been able to perceive any ill effects from
sudden discontinuance of the habit of ganja
smoking. But, if left to themselves, the smokers
of ganja, after a few years' habit, do not generally
succeed in shaking it off easily.
In the case of ganja, smoked in company, there
is a decided tendency for the moderate habit to
develop into the excessive. In company every one
takes a pride in excelling his associates, and the
novice is looked upon with contempt. This exerts
an influence over the new votary and induces him
to run to excess. Ganja smokers supply an ex-
ample to the saying that there is a competition
and pride even in evil-doing.
32. I know of no social or religious custom in
regard to the consumption of ganja, and I believe
there is none. But there is a prevailing use in
some parts of Bengal of bhang on the last day of
the Durga Puja, when some Hindus do take a
moderate quantity of bhang. This custom is old
and has not wholly died out of the country. It
has no religious sanction, and it has certainly no
binding force on the conscience of any Hindu.
After the immersion of the idols in the evening
of the Bijaya day, people go to visit their friends
and return many cordial greetings of the day.
On such occasions it is customary to entertain
the visitors with sweetmeats, sherbet and betel
leaves. At some places a little quantity of bhang
is also used in preparing the sherbet. But this
use of bhang on such occasions is not regarded as
essential by any one, and bhang is not offered by
every house. All that can be said about this
custom is that, if bhang is offered on such oc-
casions as a loving cup to any one, he does not
consider it unusual. But I know of no custom or
rules of society that may be said to require every
one to honour the cup at least with a sip. This
custom is not, however, in the least degree likely
to lead to the formation of any habit.
33. The consumption of ganja and charas
is regarded as evil habits, and the consumer is
looked upon as a low-bred individual. There has
always been a public opinion more or less strong
against the use of these two drugs, and the opinion
is daily growing stronger than before. This public
opinion is social rather than religious. There is
no doubt whatever of the existence of this public
opinion, which is freely expressed whenever occa-
sions arise.
The disrepute attached to the use of ganja is
mainly due to the fact that ganja-smokers are
mostly low class men, always ill-tempered, irri-
tative, and often concerned with petty offences of
a mean order.
I know of no custom of worshipping the plant,
as alluded to in the question. But ganja smokers
are seen offering their chillum to Mahadeo before
they partake of it. This arises from the popular
belief that Mohadeo, the god of power and des-
truction, counts ganja amongst his favourite drugs.