Hippies, Tourism, And Ganja-Charas

There is a very interesting article in Times Crest on a guy called Eight-Finger Eddie who came to Goa in the '60s and never went back. Eddie was known as "king of the hippies" and the article is an obituary, for he recently died at the age of 85. Below are some thoughts that came to me after reading about Eight-Finger Eddie, may he rest in peace.

First: It is an absolute fact that both Goa as well as Kathmandu became global tourist destinations because of hippies. This fact must be recognised by the tourism industries in both nations.

Second: As compared to the kind of sleazy "sex tourism" that is happening now in Bangkok, this hippie tourism was "decent." It was about music, peace, love - and, of course, the Holy Smoke, about which more later. The hippies were "good people" - and the Goans of Anjuna who recall Eight-Finger Eddie do so with great fondness.

Third: It is also a fact that The State brutally clamped down on hippie tourism - in both India as well as Nepal. In India, ganja-charas were hit hard by the passing of the Narcotics & Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985, which laid down draconian punishments for possession of Bholay ki Booti. Till then, the law was mild and tolerant - even permissive. The NDPS Act was passed because of pressure from the USSA - which had embarked upon a "War on Drugs" that continues to take a heavy toll, from Mexico to Afghanistan. In Kathmandu, Freak Street no longer exists. If these steps are reversed, we could be the "Amsterdam-of-the-East" - and a very "decent" kind of tourism industry would blossom.

Fourth: The article mentions a seriously flawed aspect of official policy - namely, that the authorities want to discourage backpackers and encourage rich, "high-end tourists." The same para quotes a local entrepreneur as saying that they earn only because of the custom of backpackers. This is an absolute fact throughout India. I witnessed this recently on a trip to Hampi, a World Heritage Site not too far from Goa, where every foreign visitor I met was a backpacker. It is because of them that locals have set up restaurants, cafes and lodges. No "high-end tourist" visits these places anyway - because travel in India is too much of an "adventure" for them.

Tourism is the world's biggest industry. In Goa, it is a major part of the overall economy. In the rest of India, it is hardly happening. Statistics reveal that more Indians go abroad for holidays today than foreigners come in. This must change. There is much that this vast sub-continent has to attract visitors. Official policies stand in the way.

In my opinion, ganja-charas must be completely legal. These are "traditional" throughout India - and therefore part of our "culture," a culture that we must safeguard and protect, not outlaw because of the prejudices of politicians from the USSA.

Further, because of the poor condition of our travel infrastructure, we will continue to attract relatively poor backpackers and adventurers - and, since they will encourage small, local businesses, we must never turn them away in favour of wealthy tourists. Of course, it would help enormously if we could fix our roads, and clean up our cities and towns. Tourism is about "hospitality" - but, unfortunately, our cities and towns are hard on visitors. Indeed, their first complaint is over how much trouble they faced in getting their visas!

It was heartening to hear of a hippie being remembered so fondly in Goa. I particularly liked what a local writer said: "We fell in love with them because of the way they lived." That itself is proof they were "good people." They seem unreal in our heavily materialistic times. Yet, they were idealists - and some of those ideals, like Peace, are badly required nowadays. I hope to see a statue of Eight-Finger Eddie in Anjuna someday. God bless all the hippies and freaks.