Longing for infinity

Brinda Suri Manali/Mcleodganj

If you are in Manali, and someone tells you he’s O+, he is not referring to himself as a universal blood donor. Chances are he’s trying to stealthily tell you that opium is his high and he can offer you some too. O+, AB (addicted to bhang) BC (bhang and cannabis) is the coded parlance for those who live life on the dope lane in the hills of Himachal. The majority of them are Israeli youths.

Shalom banners, Hebrew signboards, Yiddish chitter-chatter, kosher food, stoned persons, Bob Marley, smoke circles...the pattern repeats itself in many hamlets of Himachal Pradesh, right from Kasol and Jari to Manikaran in Kulu district’s Parbati valley.

Not without reason though. These are hot spots for cannabis and opium cultivation that draw Israeli backpackers in droves and encourages a parallel economy in the hill state.  According to locals, hashish growing in the Parbati valley area ranks among the best in the world. In Amsterdam, where it can be legally sold, hashish variants like Malana Cream is steeply priced. Manali Fingers and Parbati Balls are slightly lower down the rate rung.

A few hundred km away at Mcleodganj, in Kangra valley, Israeli proliferation is subtly visible. Twelve km up Dharamkot looks like mini-Israel. Shalom in blue and white greets you at places. Blaring music and Hebrew fill the air. Gleaming 350cc mobikes manoeuvre their way in and out of the potholed roads. But what hits most is the strong smoked smell emanating from cafes.

A Himachal government official admits on conditions of anonymity that locals feel alien in their own land. “Drugs and foreigners rule. We have been reduced to mute spectators.”

He is right. Narcotics-related items like opium seed crushers, smoking pipes, chillums and leather storage pouches are openly sold on the streets from Dharamkot to Old Manali.

What steps is the government taking to put a clamp on the widespread abuse? “Hills in Himachal are not easy to access. The police does destroy opium plantations and bust drug consignments from time to time, but that’s only a percentage of the real figures. It’s an uphill task in addition to a lack of will,” adds the official. 

But what is it that pulls Israelis away from the homeland? “Israel is tough. India is beautiful and cheap,” chorus Ravee and her pretty group of friends, haggling for gold jewellery at one of the many shops in Old Manali that caters only to the Israeli buyer. The five have just finished conscription and want to break free. Freedom for the majority means “experimenting with drugs”. Its easy availability despite government claims of stringent action gives them a high and most end up extending visas. Also, the on-going political disturbance and its stress takes a toll on them and India provides unrestrained, cheap living conditions. Says a local shopkeeper. “We don’t waste time with Indians. The Israelis have the buying power for everything—from gold to grass.”

Reports of Israeli youths spreading all over the hills of Himachal has made Israelis back home sit up and take notice of a trend they term as “extremely disturbing”. The Israeli government has stepped in now, and a few rabbis have set up base around Manali in an effort to draw the Israeli traveller closer to Judaism and away from drugs.