157
80. Evidence of RAO BAHADUR THAKORDAS KIKABHAI, Bania, Assistant Surgeon,
Wadhwan Civil Station, Kathiawar.
1. (a) Bhang : (1) my own personal ex-
perience as regards its effects when taken
occasionally in moderate quantities ; (2) experience
derived from observing its effects on relatives,
friends, religious mendicants, jogis, atits, fakirs
and class of people who are votaries of the god
Mahadev. I have seen people who are occasional
moderate consumers as well as habitual moderate
consumers. I have also seen occasional excessive
consumers and habitual excessive consumers. (3)
My coming in contact with different classes of
people professionally is also one of the sources of
information.
(b) As far as charas is concerned, I have neither
personal experience nor have I had any oppor-
tunities of observing its effect on others. What
little I know of its effects and uses has been derived
from statement of others.
(c) Ganja.—I have no personal experience as
regards ganja. But I have seen many persons
who are addicted to its use. Also I had oppor-
tunities of observing its effects on friends and
others when indulged in occasional and habitual
moderate and excessive quantities.
(d) Besides all these sources enumerated above,
there is one other source which I must not omit to
mention, and this is the study and perusal of
medical works.
2. Dr. Prain's definition can be accepted for
this province except that the bhang sold in these
parts is not the leaves only of the hemp plant as
stated by him. It is always more or less mixed
with seeds. There are various names by which
bhang is known in this part of the country, and
these names with their meanings are explained
below. Ganja and charas go by the same name
here as in Bengal.
The following are the various names by which
bhang is known :-
(1) Vijia. This means giver of success. (2)
Dnyanvali, meaning creeper of knowledge. (3)
Samitdevi, meaning giver of knowledge. (4)
Sabji. (5) Bhang, is also commonly called
" Lilagar." (6) Siddhi. Literally means accom-
plishments of purpose. Bhang is so called be-
cause it is used by jogis and ascetics to con-
centrate their mind when practising jog with
the object of attaining one or more of the eight
principal siddhis known to the Hindu mythology.
The names of these eight principal siddhis are—
(1) Anima; (2) laghima ; (3) garima ; (4)
pathima ; (5) parkaya pravesh ; (6) durgaman ;
(7) durviukshan ; (8) adrashya.
The " chur " variety of ganja of Dr. Prain is
generally known in this part of the country as
ganja-no-girdo.
Ganja is also called " sulpha " or " lila. "
19. Ganja and charas are generally used for
smoking purposes only. Ganja is more in use
than charas in this part of country. Charas is not
known to many in this part. Atits, khakhis and
yogis are the only class of persons who to my
knowledge supply few instances of ganja drinking,
but this is more the exception than the rule.
23. Bhang is generally used for eating and
drinking purposes only. Bhang smoking is not
known. Persons accustomed to ganja smoking
when they cannot get ganja sometimes smoke
bhang ; but these instances are very rare.
28.
Quantity.
Price.
(a) Bhang, habitual
moderate
. 1 to 2 drams
about
1 pie to 1 1/2 pie.
Habitual excessive 6 1/2 drams
1 pice.
(b) Ganja habitual
moderate
. 1/2 to 2 1/2 drams 1 pie to 4 1/2 pies.
Habitual excessive 3 to 6 drams 2 pice to 1 anna.
Besides these, cases are seen in which large quan-
tities of bhang as well as ganja are consumed by
yogis and atits. In these exceptional cases 1/2 s e e r
of ganja and 1/2s e e r o f b h a n g a r e c o n s u m e d b y a
single individual occasionally as well as daily.
29. Bhang is ordinarily mixed with black or
white pepper. It is not as a rule mixed with any
poisonous drugs, but some samples of bhang con-
tain an admixture of ganja-no-girdo, which is
mostly got rid of by the washing process to which
it is subjected before it is prepared for drinking
purpose. Some fakirs and yogis mix it with
dhatura seeds for the object of increasing its intoxi-
cating effects. It is also exceptionally mixed with
jowari grains and jowari roots to intensify its
effects ; well-to-do class mix with various cooling
and stimulating drugs, such as cucumber seeds,
marsh melon seeds, watermelon seeds, fennel seeds,
saffron, almonds, charoli (kernels of Buchanania
latifolia), pista (kernels of Pistasia vira), dried
rose buds, confection of roses, cardamoms, sugar,
milk, and poppy seeds. Ganja is never smoked alone.
It is always mixed with tobacco. Before it is mix-
ed with tobacco it is washed to remove the colour-
ing matter. After it is thoroughly washed, which
appears by the washings coming out clear and
colourless, it is squeezed between both the palms and
then mixed with tobacco, and then put in a c h i l l u m
Exceptionally it is mixed by yogis, khakhis, and
fakirs with dhatura, Calotropis gigantea, arsenic,
also with dried rose flower buds, otto of roses,
cardamoms ; sometimes it is washed with the juice
of sugarcane. The poisonous drugs are added to
intensify its effects ; others are added for their
flavour. It is also mixed with goodaku, which is
a preparation of jagri and tobacco. Some people
prepare a special chillum from sugarcane and smoke
ganja in it. The object of smoking thus is to
mitigate the local irritant effect on the throat. The
ordinary bhang massala of the bazar consists of
black pepper, poppy seeds, almonds, fennel seeds
and rose buds. Besides the ordinary massala other
drugs enumerated above form the special massala
of the well-to-do.
Bhang is used for eating and drinking pur-
poses in the following different ways :—
(1) It is prepared in the form of powder
for eating purpose. At first bhang is
roasted on gentle fire till it assumes a
reddish-brown colour and then reduced
to fine powder. This is mixed with
equal quantity of sugar or a little salt
and pepper according to taste and taken.
(2) Roasted gram and dry dates are charged
with bhang, salt and pepper by certain
process and taken by some for the pur-
pose of intoxication.
(3) A kind of sweetmeat is prepared from
bhang called mahajoon. The ordinary ma-
h a j o o n t h a t i s s o l d i n b a z a r i s g e n e r a l l y