The Sorrowful Fate Of The Malana Aryans
The framework of formal education has been so neglected that it took almost seventy years post-independence for a student to complete his graduation. Tej Ram (26), was the first student to become a graduate from the village from the Post Graduate College, Kullu. Also, his father was the first matriculate of the village and hence emphasized on his education.
The nearest secondary school is seventeen Kilometres away from the village and to make it worse, the nearest college is 46 Kilometres away which further devoid the students from getting a quality education. It’s the absence of education and skill training facilities which pushes the villagers especially the youth towards the farming of hashish as there is no alternative source of income for the people living there.
Also, the recent invasion of foreigners in the village has made it even more difficult for the villagers to break the trap. In a press release, NGO Himachal Watcher reported, “In Himachal Pradesh, the growing narcotics menace has overwhelmed a large number of youths in Kullu, Manali, Mandi and Shimla. The narcotics trade is assuming a horrific shape in Kullu where large numbers of tourists, mostly Israelis, pour in every year. This has inspired local farmers to clandestinely cultivate illegal poppy or cannabis crops to earn quick bucks.”
Allegedly, foreigners visiting Malana are not just consuming the drugs but with the help of the villagers have even started their own illegal trade menace. The real problem arises when they use minors at the point of sales as illicit trafficking by teenagers will be secured by the Juvenile Persons (Care and Protection) Act. This Act aims to improve the wellbeing of juveniles rather than punishing them under the respective Acts.
In the month of September and October, villagers of almost every age group and gender are involved in the production of the supreme form of hashish. It is produced by rubbing the cannabis leaves from bare hands to extract the oil content of the leaves. After rubbing for a while, a thick layer of oil settles on the palm which is creamed off and moulded into small balls of hashish.
The exposure of kids to the hashish often end up in making the kid addictive of the drug. And rather than being a producer of the drug, they become consumers of it. With the ease of accessibility of the hash, minors become more vulnerable to its consumption and early addiction of the drug leads to severe health problems in them.
In the remaining months, their work is majorly to perform the duties of a peddler and sometimes are overburdened with the role of a trafficker as well. They usually go out to other hill-stations in the state like Kasol, Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, and Mcleodganj in search of potential customers of the Malana Cream.
The ancient village has its origins back to Alexander’s invasion and hence the villagers believe themselves as Aryans and consider themselves superior to others. And because of this reason, they forbade themselves from eating, living, or marrying outside their community.
Although, initiatives have been by taken the government in the recent past to improve the livelihood. Villagers, on the other hand, don’t seem much interested in participating in them. There have been sincere efforts like indulging the villagers in other farming activities and even imparting them with skill-based education but there hasn’t been any substantial change in the monotonous lives of the people.
