On Their Stimulus... And My Flag

The news grabbing the headlines today is the announcement of the Second Stimulus Package. If you carefully go through this detailed news report, you will see that the effort of our The State is to channel buckets of new money into certain channels, and all these channels are occupied by The Friends of our The State, the so-called "India Inc." the report refers to.

Who will lose? All the poor, as “property titles without property” are forced into exchanges, with the borrower (the first spender) gaining while all savers lose. Under a rational-legal administration, all investments would be fully backed by real savings. This “stimulus” is just an illusion, a charade, a con game. And it is justified with Keynesian jargon. Thus we have Dr. Montek saying how he is busy doing “counter-cyclical fiscal activism.” Wah, Ustad!

But I wanted to talk about something else today: Ganja. Certain well-meaning friends have expressed their reservations on my Ganja Leaf Flag. They feel it alienates many conservatives. They say it shows me in a poor, negative light.

I protested that no one can please everyone, that I have always been a Bob Marley fan, and that if Vijay Mallya can peddle booze and also succeed in politics, surely I can do better with The Honourable Bhola Unlimited Company Ltd. We all just need one tiny niche in the market. The word “niche” is also crucial to journalism – especially blogging.

However, my rousing endorsement of ganja goes deeper than that. I believe that in the universe of highs, ganja is the healthiest, far better than tobacco. Far, far better than alcohol. This was made very clear to me during my years in Goa, where the bars open at 9 am. The guys who regularly hit the bar at 9 am are all, without exception, wiped out by 12 noon. And there are the bad boys who smoke a chillum first thing in the morning – and they are working hard the whole day, enjoying life. Ganja never killed anyone. It is not physically addictive. Alcohol is a systemic poison.

Ganja is also integral to the Indian culture of getting high. The plant, after all, is called cannabis indica. In India, we have many salutations to Shiva in all languages that are used when lighting a chillum – like Bum Lehri, Tere Jata Se Ganga Behri. Or Boom Shankar, Dushman Ko Thang Kar. There are no words for “cheers” in any major Indian language, a salutation for a glass of alcohol. Think about that.

Thus, the legislation banning ganja is evidence of a “democratic State” that has no connect with society. What is happening is a rare kind of tyranny. It is a tyranny against the ganja farmer. It is a tyranny against the smoker. It is a tyranny against our culture. It is like beer being banned in Germany. Ganja for me is therefore a potent symbol. It should be central to civil disobedience. And we need not be too civil about that. After all, we are dealing with barbarians.

Yes, I have been to Amsterdam. And felt ashamed that we have no freedom here. This is Our Culture. The word “ganja” is an Indian word found in all Indian languages. You say “ganja” to a Kannadiga and he will understand.

I have visited many “holy towns” throughout India. In Haridwar, Rishikesh and even Gangotri, for example, no alcohol or non-vegetarian food is available – but you can freely smoke a chillum on the banks of the flowing Ganga.

So my Ganja Flag is fluttering on the banks of a sacred river.

Bum Lehri, Tere Jata Se Ganga Behri!