Idukki Gold Movie
Karmen Mcarthun
If you have ever smoked weed aka ganja/marijuana or if you know anyone who is into it, you might have heard about something like Malana hash, one of the most sought after cannabis variant in northern India.
Locally known as 'Neela Chadayan' or simply Chadayan, which means blue curly. It is believed to be a hybrid strain of cannabis 80 per cent India and 20 per cent foreign, probably Amsterdam. The 'expert growers' whom I consulted were not aware of its composition anyway as it is of hardly any significance to them.
According to old-timers, the chadayan came into circulation in the 80's with the beginning of migration to those parts of Idukki that went on to constitute the 'High Range'. In fact, for decades this illegal ganja cultivation was the lifeline of high range, which had an abundance of forest cover those days.
They know that its cultivation is illegal and could land them in trouble if caught, but that didn't deter dozens of youths from my village and neighbouring villages from trying to make it big year after year, sometimes spending years at a stretch in the forest. This is because most of the 'plantations' are huge and are owned by some heavyweights who have invested lakhs of rupees.
This takes a toll on the cultivators as they might have been already in debt, forcing them to stay back for another year and try their luck once again. One former ganja plantation worker once told me that they even face risk life during these raids. Since the plantations are on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border they face raids from both sides, and if the that is if the raid is from Tami officials they don't even hesitate to shoot at suspected planters.
Already excited about going to Idduki and put your hands on it? There is a bad news. You might never get it, here is why - it is not around any more. With the population growing and forest cover soon depleting along with law enforcement becoming stricter the cultivation gradually came down in Idukki. Now most of the plantation takes place along the Andhra-Odisha border a hotbed of naxalism. Even though there are huge plantations there is a difference on what is planted- it is not Idukki gold, but 'Sheelavathi' a local variant as it is more adapted to the region's climate. Initially they tried to plant the original seeds but, the yield was of inferior quality forcing them to look for other viable options.
It is the presence of trans-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient of pot, determines it quality. Ganja grown in Idukki has up to 8 percent of THC, while those from Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have only less than 5 percent of the ingredient.However it is still sold as 'Idukki Gold' in the market. This is because the harvested marijuana are then smuggled to Idukki from where it is sold in both local and international market as the premium brand.
This year there is a particular interest in Idukki towards ganja cultivations. This is because the main cash crop - cardamom has failed. Despite comparatively good prices this year the cardamom production is low, due to a deficit rain. This according to locals have made some to go back to the tried and tested ganja cultivation. Tough limited in the interior forests, most of the plantations are inside the Mathikettan Shola, a biodiversity park which is home to some rare flora and fauna.
Rest of the yield comes from the Andhra-Odisha border which then floods the market. In the recent years there has been another change - with raids becoming more common and authorities mapping the smuggling routes the trafficking has also changed. Now most of harvest is processed in the fields itself and are made into hashish, and only the 'finished goods' land in Idukki.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, on Friday, promised a gold ring to Revenue Minister Thiruvanachoor Radhakrishnan if he completes issue of title deeds to all pre-1977 settlers in Idukki district in one year.
Mr. Chandy told mediapersons that during the all-party meeting he had convened to discuss encroachments in and around Munnar, he asked Mr. Radhakrishnan how much time he would need to complete the issue of titles. The Minister had then replied that he could do it in a year.
The Chief Minister said he was sceptical about it and suggested that he might need two years. However, Mr. Radhakrishnan appeared to be peeved by the scepticism. So, he had agreed to the time frame of one year and promised the ring upon the completion of the task.
Mr. Chandy recalled that Vakkom Purushothaman had offered a gold ring on completion of the underpass at Palayam in Thiruvananthapuram to M.K. Muneer when the former was the Finance Minister and Mr. Muneer, the Public Works Minister. Then, it was thought the chances of Mr. Muneer winning the ring were nil. However, Mr. Muneer went on to win it.
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