Punjab Doesn’t Have An Alcohol Problem, Just a Drug Problem…
About ten years ago, I was in Amritsar, Punjab, visiting family and had been invited round for dinner at a relative’s house – a member of the Punjab Police. He told me about a man he had to have a stern talking to earlier that week, but did not arrest because it was a “family matter.” The man, in his 30s, had broken into his uncle’s house to steal a cow tranquilizer. Everyone in the room, including myself, laughed at the absurdity of the crime. When he revealed that the man had injected the cow tranquilizer into his leg to get high, and that this was a “growing problem in Punjab” – his exact words in Punjabi – we were still half-heartedly laughing, but more out of a sense of uneasiness.
Ten years on, and this case is no longer an anomaly. Stories about Punjabis of all genders, classes, religions, and ages injecting themselves with things like horse respiratory medicine are not even remotely funny. Or uncommon. Virtually everybody in Punjab has a story about drug abuse. 75% of Punjab’s youth is addicted to drugs. 60% of ALL illegal drugs found in India are confiscated in Punjab. Drug abuse in Punjab is no laughing matter, but laughing about alcohol is apparently still okay because the problem in Punjab has nothing to do with alcohol. It’s all about the drugs. Many of this relative’s other stories were and still are more socially acceptable for us to laugh at because they involved drunk Punjabi men falling off tractors or scooters.
And there is no awkwardness at laughing at the following well-executed parody by Jus Reign of the “drunk uncle, who provides for great entertainment” and includes the drunk uncle dancing with a glass on his head, falling down, and generally behaving like an idiot. We don’t see the drunk uncle as having an actual problem. It’s just alcohol, after all, and not anything “serious.” (The section I am referring to starts at 2:41 and ends at 3:25.)
Jus Reign is one of my favorite comedians, not just because his humor is aimed at Punjabis (although that helps), but because he is genuinely funny and tackles issues in a way that doesn’t go for a quick laugh. He sometimes has a social point that he makes, but wraps it up in “comedy” like “WTF Punjabi Music Industry?” (listen at 1:42). The “drunk-unc” sketch is a well executed comedy sketch, but a drunk uncle is different than an alcoholic uncle, when it would hopefully not be funny. Jus Reign’s comedy comes from actual family members and his own observations of life, so, this next question is in earnest: how far off are we from a parody about the irresponsible, but lovable, heroin-addicted uncle?
While drug abuse is completely out in the open in Punjab, it isn’t socially acceptable to casually reference it in popular music originating in Punjab. Right? To clarify, I’m not talking about musicians of Punjabi descent who live in Western Counties and sing their bhangra pop bits, or “Punjabi” rappers like Bohemia, who raps about (amongst other things) doing cocaine, smoking weed, and being estranged from his family members because of it. Or Honey Singh, who is from Punjab and seeks to “bring to light,” some kind of a social message. I’m not exactly sure what that message is, but he’s apparently keeping it real. In “Dope Shope,” he raps/sings about girls on yachts who are inevitably loose, take “dope-shope,” and are solely responsible for tarnishing Punjabiyan di shaan by drinking large quantities of vodka that destroys their livers.
“Niri suki vodka na mariya karo, thoda bohut Limca vi pa lia karo/
Ainvi mitti vich rol na Punjabiyan di shaan.”
He even tries to help the girls and their livers out by suggesting they mix their vodka with some Limca. He insists that the overarching message of his songs is rooted in a moral: “if you’re a girl, don’t do dope-shope or drink alcohol straight. It isn’t proper. And is mittying up Punjabiyan di Shaan.”
Like their hip-pop counterparts, they are talented musicians, but the songs really aren’t about any moral issues anymore than “I’ve Got Hoes in Different Area Codes” is about empowering women of different ethnicities. It’s about exaggerating the lifestyle of a playa: parties, fast cars, plenty of bling, and creating a piece of music that is entertaining. And Punjabi musicians are certainly not lacking in the talent department. Honey Singh is talented and has clearly studied the art of 16 bars, effective hooks, and creating an energizing mood throughout the piece. If you can skip the content of his songs, if his talent isn’t obvious, he also has a degree from the prestigious Trinity College of Music, which is no joke. Bohemia, on the other hand took the more street thug approach – he grew up poor in Oakland, lost his mother to cancer, and now apparently lives the thug life, which is what all of his songs are about. Artists like these, and plenty of others like RDB, Nindy Kaur, and a host of others all know their stuff, and deliver on simple, catchy lyrics with a good beat. Try listening to any of their songs and not wanting to sing along, or stomp your feet and yell “bruaahhh.” Try it. Didn’t work, did it? But there aren’t any moral issues at play here. And the real question is, should there be? If they don’t make grand proclamations of getting Punjabis to be aware of Bhagat Singh, and just claim they’re entertainers, does that solve it? Lil Kim or Jay Z or Ludacris don’t have any particularly deep songs. They are just entertainers too, right?
To return to Honey Singh’s “Dope Shope” song for a minute: those who are addicted to drugs in Punjab aren’t getting high to go party on a yacht. They are strung out on the streets, begging for 30-300 rupees to get some knock off synthetic drug to last them a couple of hours. The abuse of drugs for those who live in metropolitan cities in India, or in Western countries, is born out of a totally different experience than what has been ripping through Punjab like a tornado, apparently unnoticed. And now it can’t be ignored. Not by Punjabis. Not by India. And not by the world press.
There is a New York Times article from April 18, 2012 that was severely disappointing in its scope, but a much more in-depth one from just a few days ago from Tehelka is definitely worth reading. Neither of these are exactly “news,” to anyone who has even a mild interest in the state of affairs in Punjab, but this is a rather chilling story. Not just because 75% of Punjab’s youth are addicted to drugs (that’s one addict in every third family). Not even because 60% of all drugs in India are confiscated in Punjab. But because of this: “India’s Election Commission said that some political workers were actually giving away drugs to try to buy votes. More than 110 pounds of heroin and hundreds of thousands of bottles of bootleg liquor were seized in raids. During the elections, party workers in some districts distributed coupons that voters could redeem at pharmacies.”
It’s a sign of manliness in Punjab to go to one of the million thekas littered throughout Punjab – small shops selling legit and bootleg alcohol where Punjabis can get their booze early in the morning or late at night with misspelled generic names like “Scartish Whiskey” manufactured in Uttar Pradesh. Or spend less than a couple rupees and get old school moonshine in plastic packets, with saunf and a limca to wash it down, delivered right to your tractor. It has been so ingrained in our psyche that Punjabi munde should drink massive amounts of alcohol and be able to handle it. That’s why you’ve never heard a song about Punjabi boyz drinking patiala pegs, then stumbling, slurring their words, and vomiting all over each other’s shoes. They’re always coordinated and slurring just enough to be funny and “cute,” but not enough to be unsexy (like PBN’s “Fitteh Moo”).
All of our revered legends of Punjabi music have sung songs in praise of alcohol. From Asa Singh Mastana to Bindrakhia to Gurdas Mann to Malkit Singh. And these days, virtually every single Punjabi singer’s collection features tracks about alcohol and girls. Nobody seems to have anything else to say. But why is it that Punjab is the only state in India that makes it incredibly easy for unregulated alcohol to be sold at thekas? You can find two or three at ever mile marker (I’m not kidding). You don’t see that anywhere in U.P. or Maharashtra or Himachal Pradesh. Is that Pakistan’s fault or some ISA conspiracy?
You can probably name twenty songs dealing with alcohol, but since that is clearly not the problem (Punjab only has a drug problem, you see. That’s what needs to be stopped), I’m going to talk about someone else: Geeta Zaildar, an unlikely segue into my discussion on drugs.
When I first heard Geeta Zaildar’s song “Chitte Suit te Daag Pe Gia,” I thought it was quite catchy. And I have yet to find someone who listens to the song and doesn’t feel like belting out the chorus. In terms of a catchy hook, it’s up there with “duppata tera sat rang da,” “Unhh,” (Biggie) and Kriss Kross’s “Jump.” Okay, maybe those last two were just me. The point is, it is catchy and has the formulaic “hook” that everyone sings along to. He also has a fantastic voice, there is a good beat, and a typical storyline: girl is mock angry with boy because he isn’t paying attention to her; this issue will be resolved by the end of the song, and there is rain.
But there was a line in there that surprised me, considering that most of his other songs are standard boy-girl light drama. He doesn’t do those testosterone-filled macho man songs with whiskey spilling from the cups, is never off shooting guns for no reason, or in a night club with or without sunglasses and a crew. But then again, neither was Diljit up until a few years ago (read about it here). Anyway, I listened to the stanza again. Here is a version that someone took the time to translate into English. Overall, they capture the gist of the song, but watch the bit that translates to “You pulled the covers and went to sleep,” followed by “you can gain your freedom.” Not even close to what the Punjabi translates to. Watch from 1:29:
Here are the lyrics in Gurmukhi and Romanized Punjabi:
The word “soota,” is a verb, meaning to inhale smoke. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he has been smoking that would knock him out for the entire night, not even waking up when his “jaan” repeatedly bangs on the door, yells at him through the window, and calls him repeatedly on the phone. After he invited her round. The line after that, in good jovial fun, she questions their relationship continuing because he has become not just a “vaili,” (a drug addict), but “vaili ho gia bhara”: he has become a heavy drug addict. But he seems fine after he wakes up, completely functional; he smiles and everything is all good. So, perhaps she was just over-reacting to this Punjabi munda doing what Punjabi munde do: having a little soota here and there? That Miss Pooja – she be tripping.
Is this a new norm for Punjabi songs? Casual references to drugs like it’s no big deal? Just part of the narrative. Like having a peg-sheg, riding a Bullet motorcycle, or whistling at kudiyan on GT Road. Will we still have the girls running through mustard fields in the songs, the men wearing turbans for part of the song, and then taking a break to shoot some heroin or cow tranquilizer? Will they still be wearing their karras to reprezent? Will there be a song from a Punjabi singer equivalent to Afro-Man’s “Because I Got High?” Just another catchy, beat-driven song? Maybe I just need to get with the times and start supporting Punjabi music regardless of what it’s about because it’s in Punjabi, has a good beat, and the lyrics are catchy. It is, after all, only entertainment, and is helping keep the Punjabi language and a semblance of the culture alive (yay?).
Nashe Harao: Defeat Intoxicants. Good plan. How?
Clearly the problem in Punjab then has nothing to do with alcohol. But those drugs, man, that’s where the real problem is. Not soota though. Soota is okay. It’s those Pakistani ISA agents trying to destroy Punjab and those crafty drug smugglers bringing their poisons to Punjab. Nothing to do with our own politicians, who couldn’t possibly be complicit what with those impassioned speeches they’ve been making. Oh wait, last time they said anything about it was . . . during the elections. And the agricultural policies that our politicians put into place couldn’t have anything to do with it. What possible link could there be? Certainly, none. Isolate the problem. Check! Simplify the problem. Check! And then blast it (pending), because that always works out well. Then we can have Apna Punjab again, drink our ghar di sharab (to reiterate: not the problem), and have our mooley with the ganda – is there any other way?
So the real issue is drugs, and the staggering statistics, like 75% of youth in Punjab are addicted to drugs, and yes that includes the girls, too, when they’re not running through mustard fields in their traditional outfits. Despite these statistics, according to politicians, the solution is actually very simple. In India, it’s all Pakistan’s fault. In Pakistan, it’s all Afghanistan’s fault. Who knows whom Afghanistan will put the blame on. And let’s just forget that there are plenty of places in India and Pakistan where it’s 100% legal to grow opium and marijuana plants, the latter, which grow like weeds all over the country. But let’s just blame the “foreign” smugglers who are crossing over into India with heroin – the drug for those with money, which has given rise to the cheaper alternative “synthetic drugs” – and prescription medicine that is injected into the bloodstream and can deliver highs for several hours.
The other solutions, like de-addiction centers, prey on families who have money and are absolutely desperate to try and help their sons or daughters. Yes, daughters too. Since it isn’t official (not that this means much), many of these centres are unlicensed, and are business-oriented, offering “luxurious facilities” or rapid results, or others that try to beat the addiction out of them using belts, or by getting you addicted to another drug, like Buprenorphine, for repeat business. And unlike detox centers in Western countries, they don’t need to get permission from the addict. A team comes in a van, grabs the son or daughter, and forces them into “treatment.” There are, of course, legitimate de-addiction centers, but the problem goes much deeper than placing blame on one or two things, especially when you have politicians buying votes with drugs and then making speeches about how something must be done about it.
Unemployment is high in Punjab for a variety of reasons, rooted in approved Agricultural laws on both sides of Punjab that have allowed companies like Monsanto to gain a stranglehold on farmers by copyrighting genetically modified seeds, forcing farmers to take out loans to pay for pesticides (amongst many other things). In unrelated news, Monsanto is in Afghanistan and Iraq. And this brought about an influx of loan sharks who took (and continue to take) full advantage of the vulnerable position the farmers are in by charging extortionate rates, ultimately resulting in an epidemic of farmer suicides, whose families then had to deal with the aftermath – psychologically and financially. So it’s not particularly shocking that many of those who are drawn towards drugs (definitely not alcohol though) are from villages and agricultural areas. But using these synthetic drugs has now become more widespread because of its social acceptance, especially amongst the youth, even in towns and cities that aren’t directly connected to agriculture, like Chandigarh. Walk into Punjab University or Khalsa College and odds are you will find someone to supply low grade synthetic drugs, and heroin. Out in the streets of Punjab, nobody can even be bothered to hide it anymore. They’re just out in the alleys, side-streets, open spaces, enclosed spaces, in groups, or alone just doing their thing all over Punjab, from Lahore to Mohali. Even in Amritsar, steps from Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple.
Tell me I’m not the only one who sees the parallel between what the government tried to do during the 1980s, but couldn’t because of the ideological movement (contrary to popular belief, violence did not define it). What failed then is working today (for now). Now, when we are told that alcohol is in our D.N.A., part of our cultural heritage, we fully embrace it through music, through parties, through weddings. We sometimes don’t even have qualms with having the wedding ceremony at the Gurdwara in the morning, and getting drunk in the evening for the reception. And what better way to squash any resistance to things that matter than to silence an entire generation by plying them with not just alcohol, but drugs too, effectively guaranteeing they will not be thinking about anything other than where to get their next hit.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji with Bhai Mardana and Bhai Bala
Remember that just a year before the revolution in Egypt, people would complain about corruption on every level like it was just one of those things that had to be accepted as part of life. In Punjab, we kick up a fuss every so often by marching in the streets or burning effigies to protest (insert cause here) and then we get sidetracked and forget all about it. In the “West,” we pride ourselves on churning out numbers to protest marches, social media campaigns, but none of this has really sparked a revolution or any meaningful change that I have seen. In two months, thousands of people will pour into the streets with banners condemning the Indian Government for their role in 1984. There will be signs for Khalistan, and Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana. We will update our status on Facebook and Twitter. And then, we will get sidetracked by something else. Whatever happened to that whole Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana thing? Did we “win?” (I didn’t get the memo).
During our Gurus’ lifetime, there are obvious differences in the circumstances, but the “nuisances” weren’t so drastically different than they are today. There was religious persecution, an iron clad caste system, and gender inequalities, amongst a list of many other societal “norms.” Guru Nanak Dev Ji never accepted the way things were – none of our Gurus did. They fought for the way things ought to be as individuals, and for the Panth. In different ways, they fought for the rights of others and some of our Gurus laid down their lives for this basic human right, not just for themselves, but for all human beings, regardless of their beliefs. And these basic human rights – to live with dignity, free from oppression are being -what feels like – systematically deprived specifically in Punjab. Elsewhere, you don’t find thekas so easily accessible outside offices, schools, places of worship, residential areas. But you do in Punjab. This strategy is not new. You don’t find this in Maharastra. You don’t find this in Goa, or Kerala. Or anywhere else in the country. And they drink plenty of alcohol, and even have their own version of turra (moonshine).
The revolutionary spirit extends beyond what our Gurus accomplished as individuals, but what they contributed for the Panth. It lies in every poetic verse, raag, and the powerful concepts in the Guru Granth Sahib, which were all well ahead of their time, and still cannot be fully grasped, such as the idea that God exists within all of us mere mortals. But what our Gurus contributed through the Guru Granth Sahib is revolutionary in its own right as a body of work that incorporates not just the wisdom from our Sikh Gurus, but shabads from Muslim and Hindu Bhagats. No other religious text has ever attempted to include ideas from those of other faiths, or to give credence to the idea that there are many paths towards God. There are no passages in the Guru Granth Sahib that threaten someone who isn’t Sikh with burning in the fiery pits of hell or not being able to reach salvation. That idea in itself is revolutionary.
Our Gurus encouraged us all to think and question the world we were born into, and never simply accept things the way they are, but to constantly strive towards how we know things should be based on the teachings of our Gurus. But there don’t seem to be any significant questions from our generation coming out of Punjab, particularly in the arts. Outside of Punjab, there is at least a ripple. There have been some incredibly courageous people in Punjab (not of our generation though) who have sought to change things in their own way, like human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra, Sardar Gursharan Singh, who brought real issues to the streets of Punjab through theater, and Bhagat Puran Singh, who was 19 when he informally began Pingalwara – a home for the destitute and “unwanteds” of Punjab. But these people are gone now.
Outside of Punjab, there are musicians like Humble the Poet, Jagmeet “Hoodini” Singh, Tanmit Singh of G.N.E., Sikh Knowledge, and Mandeep Sethi, who use their connection to Sikhi to rap about some issues in Punjab, but it is primarily about issues of a more universal nature, or about their experiences living in North America. They have proven that having a beard and a turban, while rapping about real issues and staying true to their ideals can garner a significant audience. And there are musicians and writers of the older generation also who sing and write in Punjabi on issues like female foeticide, or partition, as it relates to them as N.R.I.s, like my father, Punjabi poet and singer Pashaura Singh Dhillon. As with writers like Neesha Meminger, or Nav K Gill, who have watered down the complexity of 1984 to make it palatable to a Young Adult audience outside of Punjab. Or Shonali Bose and Bedabrata Pain, who made the film, “Amu” to tackle the Delhi “riots” — and alluded, as much as they could, to it being congress-lead — in a form palatable to non-Punjabis. And documentary film maker, Harpreet Kaur, who made the “Widow Colony” and most recently, “A Little Revolution,”a documentary about the children of farmers who committed suicides (both films are highly recommended and extremely powerful).
These artists obviously have ties to Punjab in some capacity, but none of these artists live in Punjab, and while their stories are a valuable part of the conversation, the conversation is incomplete without the Punjabi voice from Punjab. Where is it? Not every youth in Punjab is addicted to drugs. And there are plenty that recover from their addiction, and return to the world of bleak futures and temptation to alcohol and drugs at every corner. Perhaps this is where we should be spending more of our time and energy, rather than protesting Bollywood films, or buying that gold karra. Without taking logistics into account (yes, I know it’s kindof a big deal), encouraging a people who love to tell stories and express themselves musically, visually, and through written word, is not difficult.
Who knows – maybe the next Bollywood screenwriter and director will be a sardar from Amritsar, or a former drug addict will pen the next great Indian novel or a Punjabi poetry collection. Or a Punjabi rapper from Punjab will emerge, one who is actually grounded in the history of hip-hop, rather than continuing the trend of hip-pop with girls outnumbering guys at “parties,” plenty of alcohol, and catchy, but vacuous lyrics pervading the genre today. Perhaps, the next Jagjit Singh will have the confidence to take on the world of the ghazal and not be afraid of keeping his Sikh appearance.
I leave you with a poem by revolutionary poet, Habib Jalib. “Jaag Mere Punjab,” which will hopefully reverberate, even decades after he first wrote it, and will transcend East and West Punjab politics, and simply address the issue of Punjab as a whole. And hopefully, we stop being satisfied with the adage, “yeh India/Pakistan hai. Yahan sab kuch chalta hai” and start asking questions inwardly to incite a real change, as small as it may be on how to solve some of the issues that affect Punjab.
Note: “Chala” in the context of this poem means “to ebb” and “Pakistan” represents “an authoritative regime interested in assimilating all subcultures and languages.”
Here is the original version of the poem:
Here is an homage to Habib Jalib’s original, by the Laal Band (this has better audio, but no translation):
37 Responses to “Punjab Doesn’t Have An Alcohol Problem, Just a Drug Problem…”
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gr8 article and keep it up coz if we ignore this as a problem we wont get a solution. I sincerely hope that the wheat bowl of india, the land of gurus dose not get lost in the storm of drugs. sometimes its just to sad to know how opposed our gurus were to any form of "nasha" and yet we have the highest drug consumption in india. I just hope voices like yours don't fall on deaf ears .
This is a great article!
Keep up the work
!
When we say "75% of Punjab’s youth is addicted to drugs" lets be honest enough to admit what it is we're referring to there. On the basis that those stats are compiled, England would have a 99.99% drug addict population, as it includes those people that drink a bottle of beer, take cough syrup to soothe a cough or a paracetamol to soothe a headache….as well as the people that smoke a cigarette.
Not denying that there is a serious drug problem there though. Its parallel can be seen in Iran (which really really does have a huge drug addict problem among men and women). There, the authorities turn a blind eye to it because the heroin keeps the poor masses too subdued to rise up. Same thing is going on in Punjab. It suits Badal to have the masses too subdued on heroin to rise up.
'It suits Badal to have the masses too subdued on heroin to rise up.'
Truer than true.
We can blame individuals but the root cause of this is coming of Capitalism into India/Asia and the push to market it brings with it.
Jaag Mere Pnjab Ke Kaj-Smaj Chla. . . . . . . !
This article is too long–you should have broken it up into three articles. If I was to watch all the videos and read all the articles you link to (which I am indeed compelled to do) it would take me whole day.
That said, I read the Diljit video for “Chittey Suit Te” differently than you do. Like Afro-Man’s “Because I Got High,” I think it can be read as satire–ridiculing these people who can’t perform their “manly duties” because of their addictions. At least for the heterosexual male audience, this attack on their masculinity may not be as overt as Outkast’s “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acN_99gfuAM"Git Up, Git Out” but it could, conceivably, for some audiences, be more effective.
There is also an old tradition of “amli” (druggie) jokes in Punjabi. Some of this should fall under that–social criticism in the form of ridicule. (Granted, this is a much crueler and probably less effective “solution” to the problem than treating it as a disease epidemic and symptom of economic despair, but I think all approaches have their place and do not preclude one another.)
Also, that "Dope Shope" video is about the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Can I have those 3.5 minutes of my life back, please? I hold you personally responsible.
Thanks for your comments, Harbeer. Unfortunately, I can't give back any time lost on watching the dope shope video, or for the time it took for you to write these two comments. I do see your point about how "Because I Got High" is a satire, but I don't see any element of ridicule at all in "Chitte Suit."
Amli is not by definition a drugee, as opposed to "valli." And the Amli jokes revolved around blatant ridicule of the Amli, who were usually shown to be drunk, occasionally having had too much bhang, and always older men. They were never young men. They were never the star of the show. Nobody ever watched a song or skit with an Amli in it and said, "Damn, that Amli was cool," or "Kaash, je mai amli hunda . . . " In "Chitte Suit," however, you do don't come away with the impression that Geeta Zaildar is an amli or a valli. So, don't see it as being remotely satirical.
The Outkast video you put the link to is great and hopefully someone from our generation will write a song aimed at Punjabis using this kind of message.
It is a long article. Savor it like a big Godiva cheesecake (would you be complaining about that? – I think not). Rather than me breaking the article into three parts (and to me, all of the parts are connected to one central idea), you could always just read it in parts. Or I could tweet it to you over the course of the year (@navdeep_dhillon)
Hi Navdeep, I;m quite new to this whole blog or forum or whatever it is called! sorry. Anyway, I have posted something below but wanted to direct it to you. i wanted to know if you are part of any work around the Punjab issues and was wondering how I could get involved. I can't believe that I sing along oblivious to these Punjabi songs, namely Chitta Suit Pe, not knowing that there is reference to drug addicts! Shocking.
A great article!!!!!
I just wanted to add something to the article. I was a Journalism student at PAU and one of my teacher helped me to do a research on the Gutka ( tobacco in small packets)habits among the students of Punjab. I was shocked to look at the results becuase about 65% of the middle school students were consuming tobacco. When I asked the students that how did they got into the habit and they told me that when they go to shop to buy something the shopkeepers give them gutka packets instead of the change. The research paper was published in a WHO magazine but I really don't know that how many people paid attention to this problem. The problem starts when the kids are in schools. We really need dedicated teachers who can explain the kids about the drug use and the parents had to play a great role to save their kids. Rather then blaming someelse for the problem lets do something about it. We need to create awareness among people and among the kids and tell them " PLEASE DO NOT TAKE DRUGS".
Thank you Satwant. Interesting that it's called Gutka and that it is being given to kids instead of change. I haven't heard a peep about it from anyone I know. If you have a link to the article, please do send it, or message me on facebook/twitter about it (@navdeep_dhillon).
It was in 2000 when this article was published. I do have the paper copy of the article but I think its not uploaded on Internet. I will try to be in touch with my teacher who helped me to do this research. If you need it I can mail it to you.
Thanks
Satwant
Navdeep Ji, this is a very well written piece of work. I like it that in one article you touched on so many current issues. I am proud of you for illustrating these complex social and poltical issues through your writing. Keep up this good work and I look forward to more of such thought provoking articles from you.
Gurpreet Singh Mann
Fresno, CA
Thanks, Gurpreet. I appreciate the kind words. And its always nice to hear from my Fresno people =)
Great article.
However, I think rather than concentrating more on the songs, which has been done here, you should look at the gravity of the problem which is intenser. About the drug problem, here are some more stats.
1 out of every 4 teenagers is a drug addict; 1 in every 10 is a girl.
Chew on this. Punjab is no longer the land of 5 rivers. The sixth river of drugs is already swelling and will soon wash out the rest. if this is what is happening to the youth in Punjab, will someone please tell me where are we headed?
Thank you for your comments, King Kang and the chewable statistics =) This article is simply part of the conversation and I would love to read any other posts/articles that not only delve deeper into the problem, but offers some actual solutions too. Punjabi musicians are very talented, but are not using their platform of reaching literally millions of people, to highlight some issues affecting Punjab. At least a song here and there. That was the point and again, the article was not meant to be all encompassing or an in-depth on the ground reporting of the far reaches of the problem. But rather, to highlight what I think is the problem and what I think could possibly lead to a solution.
I stated this fact in my previous message. It got ignored….So I'll say it again. It does nobody any good to repeat patherticaly compiled Indian statistics which state "75% of Punjab's youths are drug addicts" or "1 out of every 4 is a drug addict" when those figures includes the man that likes to drink beer, the girl that gets over the counter tablets to cure her migraine, the boy that gets over the counter cough syrup to cure his cough, and the masses that are addicted to nicotine. By the standards in which these stats are compiled we would see headlines in the New York Times proclaiming the fact that "95% of New Yorkers are drug addicts"….or Fleet Street publishing headlines along the lines of "99% of Londoners are junkies!!". Lets take a step and analyse what it is we're doing here. When we equate a bottle of beer with an injection of heroin we are getting rid of the social stigma that should be attached to heroin. We are making people in Punjab think that taking heroin is no worse than smoking a cigarette or drinking a pint of German Lager. THAT is where we have gone wrong. What we should be doing is reminding our brothers back home that heroin , in our western streets, is the mark of the lowest of the low. The worst a man can get. A position no proud noble Sikh should be in. We will never achieve that if we continue with these stats which do nothing but tell the Punjabis that heroin is nothing but a slightly bad habit, on a par with regularly taking 3 headache tablets instead of 1.
Statistics in India, I agree, are difficult to assess, but I'm not sure what your claim is: that the use of the word "drugs" in the statistics encompass people who not only inject drugs, but simply take a pill here and there to alleviate symptoms like a headache, diarrhea, or cold? That the stats have encompassed not just "drugs," but drinking legitimate alcohol? Or is it that you mistrust the numbers altogether?
Some of the statistics were found through legitimate organizations like UNESCO (the same lot who came up with figures for Iran's drug crisis, where the govt is at least taking some steps to combat the issue). And the New York Times used these stats in their recent article, and has an entire department of fact checkers, as opposed to some random Punjabi magazine who aren't really publishing these kinds of stories anyway. I've always taken statistics with a grain of salt, but don't think these stats account for anyone who takes headache medicine, or the occasional drink that it would translate to 99% of New Yorkers based on their criteria. I don't know anyone in New York, London, Sydney, Beijing, Delhi, or Kerala, who even know of people injecting pesticides or animal tranquilizers into their system. But people all over Punjab know those people, and no Punjabi I know thinks the occasional drink, or taking headache pills is an issue. None of those things limit them from their responsibilities.
So even if the statistics, which I believe were compiled with criteria that went beyond just headache pills, was even 25% of Punjabi youth addicted to drugs, that is still an alarming statistic. And it doesn't change basic facts: it is being encouraged and there really are no steps the govt is taking to help rectify the situation.
Now with those kind of statistics, Navdeep (25%) I am in total agreement with you……And I don't want you to think I was rubbishing your article because, frankly, I think it is a brilliantly written piece of social commentary. But as we are now in agreement that a drug addict population of 25% is way too high for a society that wishes to go forward are we not in agreement that, in future, we need to keep the focus on Heroin and not waste our time, space and resources with the lesser evils?
Its a question of relativity. I have a relative in doaba that regularly goes to a certain point in Ferozpur….Throws a bag full of Scottish Whiskey over the fence…..and receives in return a bag full of heroin. What is 'bad' on one side of the fence is considered not quite as bad as the other on the other side of the fence. My point, Navdeep, is that every time we western sikhs pontificate to our brethren and sistren in Punjab about 'drugs' they are reading the message as "don't drink wine" "Don't smoke".."Don't put boot polish on the back of your neck".
Our message should be plain and simple : Don't use Heroin. 'Only the worst of the worst…the lowest of the low…the scavengers that have reached the very bottom of a bottomless pit……use heroin. To us its just semantics. But to them it will be the truth that hits home.
As much as we lock horns on other issues, I do agree with the point you are making, Blighty, one I hadn't actually properly thought about until you brought it up. And I do appreciate your comments.
The last time I went to India, I had a minor headache and immediately a doctor was called who prescribed me with what my sister (a doctor in the U.S.) told me was a controlled substance in the U.S. And it may be that people are treating minor ailments on a consistent basis with controlled substances, who contribute to the 75% statistic. And it may very well be a problem, but pales in comparison to Punjabis using heroin or synthetic drugs, which is very likely not as high as 75% and closer to 25%, which is still an obvious problem for any society where 1/4 of the youth are metaphorically dead. Those addicted to it can't even control their own bowel movements, let alone even think about anything else.
Educating people about heroin and generally taking a stand specifically against heroin/synthetic drugs will be moderately effective with college students, who probably take it for the same reasons an American college kid would take it: experimentation, social conformity, etc. By highlighting how "lowest of the low" it is, in its immediate effects(not to mention the possibility of HIV and a host of other things), this will hopefully deter many college students from even trying it, and to stick with the usuals: alcohol, bhang, maybe prescription drugs.
But I don't know how much effect this education will have on those in rural communities. People in poverty stricken, black dominated areas in the U.S.A., for example, know that "crack is whack," but they still do it out of desperation, or simply because it's available and "everyone's doing it." Not because they didn't learn about its devastating effects.
The Punjabi farmer under enormous debt and familial responsibilities doesn't take synthetic drugs because he's experimenting, (and can't afford heroin), but out of desperation and complete escape from life, something alcohol or bhang cannot provide. The other option is suicide.
I completely agree that what you are saying is part of the solution. And we shouldn't muddy up the waters by including everything else within the blanket term "nasha." And a good place to start the conversation is by making it clear that there is no such thing as a casual heroin/synthetic drug user; it is a devastating drug, plain and simple. I also hope that Punjabis start asking critical questions of some of the policies that got us to this situation and eventually about the culture surrounding the lesser evils.
As usual mr. Dhillon has turned a molehill into a mountain.There have always been addicts in punjab, heck even Ranjit Singh Shukarchakia was an opium addict,each and every nihang worth his salt begins his day by drinking sukha/cannabis.Punjab has always been a transit point as afghanistan produces high quality opium,which is coverted into heroin in labs in pakistan.As for synthetic it sure is new phenominon,but not that alarming.If mr.Dhillon's friend had enforced the law instead of letting the offender go,there would have been one less addict out in the open.But that is punjabi society hood winking & looking the other way in name of family or other relations.Seems like whinning has become a permanent past time of punjabi's.
You're right, Mohinder, it's not a big deal. You're not completely correct about the solution though. Had this relative in the Punjab Police simply arrested the addict and put him in jail, he would still be an addict – you can still get drugs in jails. And he would have only been arrested for theft. Cow tranquilizer is not illegal. Stealing it is. Heroin or cocaine are illegal to be in possession of, or to use. This cow tranquilizer was not procured from an Afghani drug smuggler. If my relative had shot and killed the addict in an "encounter," then your conclusion would be more viable and create "one less addict out in the open."
My next blog post is shorter: 140 characters, which seems more in line with your attention span. It is titled, "Handle Yo Bizness, Punjab: Heroin, Synthetic Drugs, Opium, Farmer Suicides, Monsanto, Not a Big Deal" with a suggested slogan for Punjab: "Nasha Harao. Goli Chalao." And an English slogan with an image of Gabbar Singh for everyone to put on their FaceBook, "We'll Shoot the Addiction Out of You." And call me Navdeep. There's no formality amongst friends.
Mohinder Singh Ji I'm curious to know which of the issues in Punjab today are mountains for you.
what about psychiatry?
@navdeep &sanehval heres what I think & know,out of all illegal drugs coming into punjab 30% are intercepted/confiscated by the authorities.67% of the remaining end up in metropolitan areas like bombay /benglore etc where they are transported to europe/namerica.Of the remaining 3% abour 2% are smugelled to canada thru a conduit of NRIs & local trafiicers.Only about 1% of illegal drugs are consumed in punjab.The surveys done & quoted are done sporadical.On my last trip to punjab the figures I put have been quoted to me by my remaining erstwhile compatriots still serving in the state police.Punjab is basically a transit state & not a consumer state.At any given time there are no more than 74000 people incarcerated/under trial for drug offenses.Drug addicts get adequate medical help during their incarceration,better than the quacks operating non addiction centers as pointed by MR DHILLON.REVISIDISCM is exteremely low those who serve their sentence inside a state prison due to the restrictions/treatment.True as Mr.Dhillon pointed one can get drugs in prison,but that is true of any country.Issues that are mountains for me 1.unemployment 2.rise in violent crime 3.intolerence by diff. communities/groups & turning the situation into sectarian/communal problems.
I vote for “Nasha Harao. Goli Chalao.”
I’m being sarcastic, of course. I speak as a former heroin addict, myself–this needs to be treated as a public health problem.
And to preempt any follow-ups (though I’m still open to questions), I first got strung out while attending an elite East Coast university. I finally, definitively got clean when the law forced me to. I come from a “good middle-class family,” I always did well in school and on all the standardized tests, got praise and won awards for sports and writing and photography, had a ton of loving friends and even girlfriends. I always did a good job at work and paid all my bills on time.
In my case, it was the 90s and so many people were doing it that it didn’t feel like such a big deal (especially when I’d grown up with “Just say no!” Punky Brewster/Nancy Reagan messaging that pretty much equated marijuana to crack, so I concur with Blighty Singh that some distinctions between “hard” and “recreational” drugs are important) and I was just curious and adventurous. It took me four years of intermittent, recreational use before I became chemically dependent (after graduating EARLY with a B+ average).
I’m glad that my family and my communities did not give up on me, and I always try to give back more than anybody’s ever given me, so you can ride your high horse off to your ivory tower and the rest of us will deal with reality just fine, Mohinder Bhai.
morality cannot be legislated – renounce all forms of cruelty to enjoy Naam Nesha
sattvic diet etc. one day i will quit caffeine for good, not today though..
I think songs are playing a big role in spreading this drug menace among youth. A censor board shld be set up to check the lyrics as well as videos of songs…
off topic: the worst form of cruelty would be out-of-caste marriages – call that what you will but that is Not Anand Karaj – we need village caste councils everywhere – oh yeah, and the wife is supposed to be a bit older than the husband – according to our Tenth Master – eating store brought bread is wrong according to a certain sect – we need to spend time thupping rotis and not wasting it here online – i agree with Harnoor the entertainment industry/fortune telling etc. is responsible for glamorizing sin – what about Rakshasic "children" who force conversions – we need unity in our community – logic, common sense – less sarcasm – don't waste time with translations – can't have sikhi to the max without punjabi. i made the mistake of reading parts of the Garuda Purana once – my conclusion is avoid bad sangat.
everyone ought to know that certain mood-altering medications prescribed by quacks (who else) arouse violence – this is worse than so-called "recreational drugs" although those are of course highly sinful.
final comment on Anand Karaj here: one chaste physical child-bearing wife plus three chaste non-reproducing wives – that is Anand Karaj – youngest martyrs created – some peoples create martyrs others are martyrs – enjoy the weekend everyone – apologies if these comments seem not to make too too much sense right now.
Drugs are such a massive problem world wide, there are enough problems in the world without it touching the beautiful lands of India!
i wish the war on terror and the war on drugs would just cancel each other out so we could All enjoy world peace (chickpeas in every pot..)
@Navdeep Dhillon. Your article is a truly amazing read, the way in which you have intertwined many issues (esp the fact that we all protested for Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana and now have no clue as to what is happening). I am shocked to read that the politicians use drugs as a bribe to get votes but it all makes sense; im not naive to the fact the India government/politics is corrupt but silencing the voice with drugs makes complete sense.
Thank you for this insightful article and please keep posting articles like this. Also I would love to hear your thoughts on how us Western Punjabis can begin resolving this issue and regaining the jewel that is Punjab.
"I am shocked to read that the politicians use drugs as a bribe to get votes but it all makes sense; im not naive to the fact the India government/politics is corrupt but silencing the voice with drugs makes complete sense".
You have a point Lilly but don't forget this has come back to bite the hand that feeds drugs historically; Chinese were once known as a nation of opium addicts, Look where are they now!
@Lilly. I am happy that you honed in on the central points I was making in my article, and appreciate the words of encouragement in sharing my views.
The brunt of any movement to initiate real change has to come from Punjab itself. As Western Sikhs, as connected as we may be to Punjab, we don't fully understand the problems facing our Punjabi brothers and sisters. Nor do we understand living under oppression that to many doesn't feel like oppression. The drug problem is blamed on Pakistan, which means we view Punjab as two separate places – Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab, but the issues affecting it aren't isolated to country or religion. That is what we should be focusing on as Punjabis of the diaspora or of Punjab itself (something that is being rekindled by artists from both India and Pakistan, but not particularly in the West). We should be creating unity in issues affecting Punjab, so it is construed as tied to a religion or country, but to us all as Punjabis.
The goal is a sustained movement, not a two day movement. We are great at organizing things, but not very good at focusing on one thing and having a specific short term and long term goal. Bhai Bant Singh Rajoana, for example, we've pretty much abandoned once his execution was "stayed." We have absolutely no clue what is happening with the 1984 victims or their children, even when we do line the streets to protest in two months time (not before and not after November).
As Western Sikhs, we are at a distinct advantage because we can get away with saying things and doing things (like organizing protest marches) all over the world from England to New York without death threats or other acts of retribution from the government. We should continue to be aware and should encourage more creative outlets of expression of these social issues: novels, short stories, drama, movies, and comic books. And we should also engage with organizations and individuals in India, who are at the ground level. There are organizations outside of India, and some within India, that have a clear focus, but seem to be standing alone without any cohesive support.
The research paper was published in a WHO magazine but I really don't know that how many people paid attention to this problem. The problem starts when the kids are in schools. We really need dedicated teachers who can explain the kids about the drug use and the parents had to play a great role to save their kids. Rather then blaming someelse for the problem lets do something about it. We need to create awareness among people and among the kids and tell them