208
109. Evidence of SEWAR LAL KARSONDAS, Secretary, Arya Samaj, Bombay.
The Arya Samaj fully sympathises with the
objects of the Commission referred to, as the
principles and tenets of the Samaj enjoin on its
members total abstinence from all kinds of intoxi-
cating drugs.
The Samaj, however, is of opinion that any
governmental action in the direction of further
restricting the preparation or sale of the drugs will
be productive of very little good. The Samaj
believes that education of the masses is the only
proper and effective remedy for correcting such
baneful habits, and fears that any compulsion in
this matter is likely to drive the consumers of
these comparatively innocuous drugs to the use of
more injurious intoxicants that are plentifully
supplied to the people like the various preparations
containing alcohol. The Samaj, therefore, prays
that the Government, actuated as it seems to be
in taking these steps by high moral motives, would
be pleased to devise measures for the restriction of
the sale of European liquor in India, which is per-
petrating a great havoc on the morals and the
physique of the Indian people
The Samaj fervently hopes that the compara-
tively less injurious drugs of Indian origin may
be left to themselves, until the strong hand of
Government is able to cheek the rapidly growing
diffusion of European liquor in India.
110 . Evidence of RAO BAHADUR VISHWANATH KESHAWA JOGLEKAR, Brahmin,
Sowkar, Karajgi in Dharwar District.
1.
I have had no special opportunities of studying
the question of hemp drugs. My desultory read-
ing of the literature on the subject, my casual
intercourse with the people using the drug, as
well as the remarks made to me by others in
con-versations or observations noted by me whenever
I came across persons affected by the over-indul-
gent use of the drug, are the only sources of the
information contained in these replies.
2. Though I have once toured through parts of
Northern India, I have confined my answers to the
six districts of the Southern Division of the
Bombay presidency, namely, Kolaba, Ratnagiri,
Kanara, Bijapur, Belgaum and Dharwar, for the
main reason that I can speak for them with greater
confidence as to the accuracy of my statements
than for any other portion of India.
All the varieties of ganja are more or less
known in this part of India, but only two of them
are sold, or in other words commonly used, i.e .,
flat ganja and broken ganja; the latter is also
called bhang. The definitions given by Dr. Prain
accord with the description given by persons who
during their long residence in Northern India were
personally acquainted with the cultivation of hemp
and the preparation of its numerous varieties for
eating or drinking ; but in these parts '' chur,"
powdered gauja, is called bhang. it is used in
the preparation of drinks and sweetmeats and not
for smoking
3 In none of the districts embraced in these
replies does the hemp plant grow spontaneously,
and the questions 4, 5 and 6 under this chapter
require no answers.
7. Two varieties of hemp are more or less widely
cultivated in the division for the sake of fibre.
They are known as toga and ambada, the botanical
equivalents respectively being " Crotalaria juncea,"
" Hibiscus cannabinus," and the approximate area
of their cultivation from the latest published re-
turns are as below:—
Name of the district.
Area inacres of cul-
tivation of t a g a ,
"Crotalaria juncea."
Area in acres of
c u l t i -
v a t i o n o f a m b a d a ,
Hibiscus
c a n n a -
binus."
Kolaba .
.
.
564
178
Ratnagiri
.
1,576
......
Canara .
,
.
93
68
Bijapur . .
91
5,438
Belgaum . .
2,223
3,352
Dharwar
.
.
119
4,368
But the hemp plant which produces ganja
bhang, etc., is only cultivated on a very small
seale in the Collectorate of Bijapur and in the
States of Jamkhindi and Jata.
9. The method of cultivation followed is not
marked with any peculiarity. The only difficulty lies
in wee ling out the male plants and thus prevent-
ing the female kind from seeding. The scanty cul-
tivation which exists at Bijapur appears to have in-
creased from 33 gunthas in 1888-89 to 13 acres in
1892-93. This slight increase seems to have been
fully sustained by lecal demand. The district
of Bijapur does not import much from outside,
and what it imports is chiefly, if not solely, from
the neighbouring State of Jata; it has no less
than 33 retail shops licensed for the sale of ganja.
I personally visited the farm at Bijapur, in
order to see with my own eyes the cultivation of
hemp and also the process of the manufacture of
ganja. The method of cultivation does not much
differ from that, of jowari. Tee soil is well
ploughed some four times and levelled by means of
harrow. It is at the time when the process of
levelling is going on that manure is thrown over
the soil. The preliminary process, I mean the
pressing of the soil, is commenced generally in
Phagun or Chait, March or April, and is com-
pleted about the end of Jesht, June. When the
laud is thus well prepared, the ganja seed is sown
in the field by means of drill (kurgi), a sowing
implement, the same that is used when sowing
jowari, with the only difference that the two of the
three holes of the drill are closed, and the third
alone is kept open. This is done to allow more
space between the rows of the crop. The sowing
operation commences about the end of July or
beginning of August. The seed, after it is sown, is
covered under earth by means of Balgunti. After
a w e e k t h e o f f - s h o o t s a r e f o u n d t o a p p e a r o v e r
the surface of the ground. When the crops grow
about one foot high, the grass is weeded out by
hand, and later on, as it grows taller, the grass
between the rows is removed by a grubber (yadi-
kunti) about twice a month, until the crop is
ready for harvesting. If the rains hold off and
there is a long break, it sometimes becomes neces-
sary to water the crop. It takes about four or five
months for tile crop to be ready for reaping, and
the harvesting period is about the beginning of
January. When the crop is fully grown up, the
tallest plant may be found to measure about 6 or
7 feet.