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The Halal Meat Butcher

ganpenelope — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:18:58 +0000

In Islam, ’Halal’ (Arabic: حلال‎ ḥalāl, “lawful”) means permissible. ‘Haraam’ means forbidden.

Although the term halal and haraam are applied to many facets of life; and one of the most common uses of these terms is in reference to meat products, food contact materials, and pharmaceuticals. .

Commonly, forbidden items include pork and all its products; animals improperly slaughtered; alcoholic drinks, including all forms of intoxicants; carnivorous animals; birds of prey; and any food contaminated with any of these products. When reference to meat products are made, it simply means that the slaughtering of the animal (excluding fish and most sea-life as per Islamic law) has used the prescribed method of Ḏabīḥah (ذَبِيْحَة).

Ḏabīḥah calls for the use of a well sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, wind pipe and jugular veins but leaves the spinal cord intact when slaughtering animals. The head of an animal that is slaughtered is also required to be aligned with the Qiblah.

However, before the second world war, the religious ritual method of slaughter as practiced in Islam and Judaism has been described as inhumane by animal welfare organisations in the U.K. and the U.S.A., who have stated that it “causes severe suffering to animals. In 1978, a study incorporating EEG with electrodes surgically implanted on the skull of 17 sheep and 15 calves, and conducted by Wilhelm Schulze et al. at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Germany concluded that “the slaughter in the form of a ritual cut is, if carried out properly, painless in sheep and calves according to EEG recordings and the missing defensive actions” .

The French Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fishing published the ASIDCOM’s Bibliographical Report on Religious Slaughter and the Welfare of Animals in 2008 which quoted scientific papers and French veterinary PhD which support the equality or even possible superiority of religious slaughter to other methods of slaughter.

Ḏabīḥah continues to be contested till today.

For example, in 2003, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), an independent advisory group, concluded that the way halal and kosher meat is produced causes severe suffering to animals and should be banned immediately. FAWC argued that cattle required up to two minutes to bleed to death when such means are employed. The Muslim Council of Britain countered the argument by stating that “it’s a sudden and quick haemorrhage. A quick loss of blood pressure and the brain is instantaneously starved of blood and there is no time to start feeling any pain.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Humane Society International was quoted to say that, “the animals that are slaughtered according to kosher and halal should be securely restrained, particularly the head and neck, before cutting the throat” as “movements (during slaughter) results in a poor cut, bad bleeding, slow loss of consciousness, if at all, and pain.”

To appease the various fractions and opinion leaders on the above, in 2008, the Food and Farming minister in the UK requested that halal and kosher meat be labeled when it is put on sale, so that members of the public can decide whether or not they want to buy food from animals that have been bled to death. Lord Rooker was quoted as saying, “I object to the method of slaughter … my choice as a customer is that I would want to buy meat that has been looked after, and slaughtered in the most humane way possible.” The RSPCA his views.

Frustrated by the opinions, Jewish and Muslims across the globe continues to provide meat products that uses the prescribed method of Ḏabīḥah (ذَبِيْحَة).

Reflections: Yamuna River

ganpenelope — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:18:17 +0000

The Yamuna (Hindi/Sanskrit: यमुना, Urdu:جمنا sometimes called Jamuna (Hindi: जमुना) or Jumna) is the largest tributary river of the Ganges (Ganga) in northern India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height 6,387 metres it travels a total length of 1,376 kilometers (855 mi) and has a drainage system of 366,223 km²; forming 40.2% of the entire Ganges Basin. With a distinguishable “clear blue” water as compared to silt-ridden yellow of the Ganges, the Yamuna crosses several states - Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh - passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi with nearly 57 million people dependent on the Yamuna waters; 96% contributing towards irrigation and accounts for 70% of Delhi’s water supply.

Despite it’s “clear blue” coloration, the Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, especially around New Delhi, which dumps about 58% of its waste into the river. This is attributed to the high density population growth and rapid industrialization which contributes towards the three main sources of pollution in the river:

households and municipal disposal sites,
soil erosion resulting from deforestation occurring to make way for agriculture along with resulting chemical wash-off from fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, and
run-off from commercial activity and industrial sites.

With an annual flow of about 10,000 cubic billion metres (cbm) and usage of 4,400 cbm the importance of the Yamuna river cannot be disregarded. Coupled by it being highly venerated in Hinduism and worshipped as goddess Yamuna, numerous attempts have been made to clean it. Nonetheless the efforts by the government of India that has spent nearly $500 million on clean up efforts and over Rs 1,700 crore to control pollution under the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) seems futile where it continues to be polluted with garbage and where most sewage treatment facilities are underfunded or malfunctioning, resulting in the pollutants being continuously channeled into the river.

The situation is exacerbated over the fact that the water in the Yamuna river remains stagnant for almost 9 months whilst the Lok Sabha continues with talks on plans on how to resuscitate the Yamuna.

Taj Mahal, the Crown Palace

ganpenelope — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:18:11 +0000

The Taj Mahal (Crown Palace) is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. Some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed and is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India.

Built entirely of white marble, the Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers by Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 C.E.) in the memory of his dear wife – queen Mumtaz Mahal (her real name was Arjumand Banu*) at Agra, India. Completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees, the Taj is an “elegy in marble” or some say an expression of a “dream.” Glowing in the light of the full moon, the Taj transforms to take on a dreamy fairy like existence – as if floating and suspended in clouds – on a foggy morning when viewed from across the Jamuna river.

The Taj serves as a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The construction documents show that its master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, the renowned Islamic architect of his time, employing specialised expert craftsmen from Delhi, Qannauj, Lahore, Multan, Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara.

The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its own and perfectly integrates with the main structure. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and a symmetry of architectural elements.

Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each. The entire mausoleum (both internal and external chambers) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems such as agate and jasper. The main archways, chiseled with passages from the Holy Qur’an and the bold scroll work of flowery pattern is captivating. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.

The mausoleum is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque (to the left), a guest house (to the right), and several other palatial buildings. The Taj is at the farthest end of this complex, with the river Jamuna behind it. The large garden contains four reflecting pools dividing it at the center. Each of these four sections is further subdivided into four sections and then each into yet another four sections. Like the Taj, the garden elements serve like Arabesque, standing on their own and also constituting the whole.

Shah Jahan’s grave was later added to the Taj Mahal.

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* In the tradition of the Mughals, important ladies of the royal family were given another name at their marriage or at some other significant event in their lives, and that new name was commonly used by the public. Shah Jahan’s real name was Shahab-ud-din, and he was known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne in 1628.

Miracle Healer or Merciless Killer

ganpenelope — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:18:45 +0000

A stuffed fennec head lies next to mountain goat horns, monkey skulls, dried tiger penises and gutted out air dried lizards.

Parts of vanishing species from Africa’s forests are laid out for local buyers seeking sex boosters, spiritual and physical cures for multitude of ailments ranging from a simple cough to cancer, and exotic food, while the skins of jungle cats, snakes and other reptiles are draped impressively with lit bulbs carefully positioned to attract Western buyers / collectors of exotic fur and skin used to fashioned out luxurious fashion items and souvenirs.

While, noticeably a sizeable quantity of wildlife is hunted and felled to supply dealers and medicine men in this scruffy part of UNESCO enlisted Djemaa el Fna, Djemaa el Fna is just one node of a trade network that funnels the wildlife from across the region to satisfy the insatiable global demands.

With millions of people in Asia and Africa still believing that rhino horn prevents convulsions, tiger wine provides strength, bear paws enhances bravery, pickled turtle flippers increases longevity, fresh snake blood makes potent aphrodisiac and that the consumption of exotic fare endows them with added social status, the demand for wildlife is unlikely to wane. The supply of illegal wildlife available openly in Djemaa el Fna is just the tip of the iceberg of the global illegal wildlife trade problem.

Whilst the true immensity of the illegal wildlife trade is unknown, Interpol experts believes that it generates between 10 – 20 million dollars annually; coming a close second to the trade of illicit drugs in regards to revenue.

Although enforcement and awareness efforts have been stepped up globally in recent years by the likes of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and WildAid Asia, focus has been predominantly in Southeast Asia and China, especially in the wake of trade liberalization in the region and the proliferation of air and road links with China.

In Morocco, awareness have been limited to the Barbaray Macaques, which remains very much a localised issue. As a preferred source of protein and where primates are considered a delicacy, up to 40,000 primates are killed and consumed each year in Africa alone, with a small fraction of these game meat being supplied all over Europe and the United States by “bushmeat” hunters in addition to souvenirs made from tortoise.

Although a member of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), Moroccan wildlife trades and medicine men seems unperturbed and continues to boldly display and ‘push’ their wares. Much of this is due to lax law enforcements that is rife with corruption and the steep cultural and spiritual believe by enforcers themselves in the spiritual and physical healing properties of these wildlife, thereby legitimating the ‘product’ and trade.

With big-time operators, documentations are often doctored; falsely listing the source of the wildlife to circumvent conditions and species proscribed under CITES.

This practice of “laundering” wildlife through approved enterprises which breeds endangered species such as musk deer, bears and tigers have created an added complexity for enforcers and conservationists who is adopting a two-pronged approach by complementing theirs strikes against suppliers with education to lessen demand:

“When the buying stops, the killing can, too”

WildAid -

Strokes of Hope

ganpenelope — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:06:28 +0000

Drawing from their long history of Buddhism, Tibetan art has always been synonymous with Thangkas – religious scrolls that projects iconographical and religious elements. However, with changes in Lhasa brought about by the arrivals of pilgrims from all corners of the world prostrating in front of the Jokhang and thus the emergence of a plethora of entertainment venues hosting kitschy Tibetan cultural shows, Tibetan artist have been undergoing ‘similar’ transformation or ’progress’.

Tired of being exotic-sized in the West as “mystics,” and “ethnic”, they have broken norms and boundaries, fiercely defending their right to express their own identities within the modern dialectic under the purview of art schools such as the Gendun Choephal School in Lhasa.

Neither a traditionalist tantric influence nor an avant-garde fan, I was instantly attracted to the middle-of-the-road approach used by this artist at the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre. What was pleasantly surprising, if not shocking, was to find a docile lady in exile producing such fine pieces that continues to reflect the cultural identity of Tibet, while producing works that are commercially viable, despite being isolated and hence insulated from the developments of the Tibetan art world that has attracted both positive and negative opinions;

the ecumenical modern art world (though comprising mostly of artists hailing from the developed Western world) looks at contemporary Tibetan artists as a group playing catch up with post modernism, and
whilst the native Tibetans are concern that in the haste to embrace globalisation to overcome social, psychological and economic changes of the world, Tibetan will lose their tradition.

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check out Thangkas: Buddhist Religious Scrolls a multimedia piece by Mohit Gupta; brilliant engineer, enthusiastic photographer and friend

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Save Tibet

ganpenelope — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:18:05 +0000

For centuries Tibet maintained its position as a distinct nation despite China, Mongolia and Britain’s past attempts to exert control over it. Tibet had its own government, religion, language, laws and customs … pretty much like every other nation in the world until the Chinese invaded them in 1949.

Since then, Tibetans have struggled to regain their freedom and keep their culture intact.

Viewed as ‘inferior’ and ‘backwards’ by their invaders, the Chinese government, through its establishment of colonial political and economic structures have been ruled and treated Tibetans like children, with rampant racism that has led to the de facto segregation of races in Tibet as well as inequitable economic and infrastructure development.

On the latter, central subsidies and investments in Tibet has been channelled to the Chinese administrators and (Chinese) settlers, which have a much higher standard of living today than the Tibetans. Officially, studies and statements have been released with blunt statements stating that the Chinese settlers ”cannot be expected to live on the local fare. They need good housing, hospitals, cinemas and schools for their children.” Officials have furthermore made it a ‘policy’ to only hire and care for Chinese settlers.

The Tibetan Autonomous Region, which it is formally known as under China’s rule, is the poorest region of China with annual per capita income of less than USD 100 per year. Economic conditions in rural areas are extremely poor with little changes and progress since the first half of the century. Electricity and running water is a novelty, let alone the prospects of having any healthcare or an education system. Clinics, schools, electricity and other social services and infrastructures are for the Chinese settlers, mostly in the central administration areas that are far from the Tibetan communities, making it irrelevant in their lives.

Whilst the Tibetans who live near the Chinese settlements may be casual beneficiaries of government programs that would not exist in their present state but for the Chinese population, they face fierce discrimination and at times repression and brutality.

SOME STATISTICS & FACTS ABOUT TIBET

Size: 2.5 million sq. km.

Capital: Lhasa

Population:6 million Tibetans and an undetermined number of Chinese, most of whom are in Kham and Amdo

Religion: Tibetan Buddhism is practiced by 99% of the Tibetan Population

Language:Tibetan (of the Tibeto-Burmese language family). The official language is Chinese after Chinese occupation in 1959.

Staple Food:Tsampa (roasted barley flour)

National Drink: Salted butter tea

Typical Animals:Wild yak, Bharal (blue) sheep, Musk deer, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan gazelle, Kyang (wild ass), Pica

Typical Birds:Black necked crane, Lammergeier, Great crested grebe, Bar headed goose, Ruddy shel duck, Ibis-bill

Major Environmental Problems: Rampant deforestation in eastern Tibet; desertification, poaching of large mammals

Average Altitude: 14,000 Feet

Highest Mountain:Chomo Langma (Mt. Everest) 29,028 ft

Average Temperature: July 58º F; January 24º F

Mineral Deposits: Borax, uranium, iron, chromite, gold

Major Rivers:Mekong, Yangtse, Salween, Tsangpo, Yellow, Indus, Karnali

Economy: Tibetans: predominantly in agriculture and animal husbandry. Chinese: predominantly in government, commerce and the service sector

Provinces:U-Tsang (Central Tibet), Amdo (NE Tibet), Kham (SE Tibet)

Bordering Countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China

National Flag: Snow lions with red and blue rays. Outlawed in Tibet

Political and Religious Leader:The 14th Dalai Lama. In exile in Dharamsala, India

Government: Communist (after Chinese occupation in 1959)

Relationship with the People’s Republic of China: Colonial

Legal Status: Occupied

Jama Masjid + Feathered Friends

ganpenelope — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:18:29 +0000

Jama Masjid strikes me as the Trafalgar Square (pre-2008) of Delhi. Flocks of pigeons gather in the open courtyard and are fed handsome amounts of seed; possibly the only other obvious Jainism influence in Jama Masjid other than the 260 pillars carved from Jain traditions that supports the big hall in the western chamber.

Whilst the pigeons in Jama Masjid are free, a stark reality occurs just hundreds of meters away at the Jama Masjid bird market, where pigeons, ducks, roosters and munias are cooped up in cramped cages waiting for an exchange of swabs of rupees for their lives. Although their feathered cousins – the parakeets, mynas, owls and falcons – won’t face the fate of a blade slicing through their throats, they do not escape the currency of cruelty that takes place every Friday and Sunday where they are sold to the highest bidder that promises to curtail their freedom for live.

Across the street, behind the Red Fort at INA Market there is a same scene; one that is replicated at Minto Road, Noida’s Sector 18 Market and Moolchang crossing where the vendors not only flaunt the birds without fear of authority but threatens to destroy any cameras pointed in their direction.

Although Schedule IV, Section 2, of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 states that the trade of protected birds, including hill mynas, falcons, vultures, pheasants, rose-ring parakeets and cockatoos is banned, the apathy of the authorities is said to help this trade flourish.

In other instances, the law has been ‘confused’ with vendors arguing convoluted versions of the law such as: “Birds held captive before 1990 and the offspring of such birds can be traded.” Or those justifying their actions by a warped account of what is legal: “Trading of exotic foreign species is not mentioned in the Illegal Trade of Exotic Species.”

For the birds, neither does ‘generation’ nor the terms ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ hold any significance when life itself has clipped their wings.

And in the most extreme instances, the guardians of the law are purported to be hand-in-glove with those who trade birds illegally. The lure of rupees proves too strong.

Suryavarman II Sacred Angkor Wat

ganpenelope — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:18:32 +0000

Built in the early 12th Century as King Suryavarman II’s temple state and capital city, Angkor Wat (which translates to “City Temple” from a combination of Sanskrit and Khmer) requires no introduction.

Neglected after the 16th century, the temple’s existence made prominence in the West only in the mid-19th century by Henri Mouhot – a French explorer – travel notes that cites:

“One of these temples – a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo – might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged.”

With renewed interest arising mainly from cynicism and disbelief that the Khmers could have constructed such a marvel, restoration begun in the 20th century – mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Despite being abandoned for four centuries, restorers were pleasantly surprised by the minimal damage to Angkor Wat due in part to the existence of its large moat that provided it some protection from encroachment by the jungle.

Interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s – but again, relatively little damage was done to Angkor Wat other than theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues – the Archaeological Survey of India continued restoration work on the temple between 1986 to 1992.

Following the Archaeological Survey of India’s work, further restoration and preservation work on the temple continued to be carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian government despite the establishment of the Angkor World Heritage Site in 1992 that provided some funding and encouragement for the Cambodian government to protect the site.

For instance, the German Apsara Conservation Project works on protecting the devatas and other bas-reliefs decorations on the temple from damage due to natural erosion and deterioration of the stone, repairs on the collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapses in 2002. A Japanese team on the other hand contributed to the restoration of the north library of Angkor Wat’s outer enclosure in 2005, and the World Monuments Fund worked on the ‘Churning of the Sea of Milk’ Gallery in 2008.

Since it’s re-’opening’, Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination with close to a million foreign visitors a year. The influx of tourists has purportedly caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti where ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Structures that are buttressed by scaffolding have been erected for good measure to prevent further structural collapses … despite these claims, be a responsible traveler. Keep your hands away.

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The Angkor Wat temples lies 5.5 km north of Siem Reap which is easily assessable via flights or a boat ride from Cambodia’s capital Phomn Penh.

For travel tips and more travel related information and useful travel links, please read HERE.

The Tibetan Diaspora – 50 years on

ganpenelope — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:18:23 +0000

In the wake of the failure of the Lhasa Uprising, Khampas (Eastern Tibetans) who did not take to the hills to join the Chushi Kangdruk guerrillas left for exile in India in 1959. Amongst the eighty thousand Tibetans that left their homeland in exodus between 1959-1960, were the 14th Dalai Lama himself, a large part of the Lhasa government, the abbots and many monks from the great Lhasa and provincial gompas, land-owners of Central Tibet, and the faithful from all walks of life who headed the Dalai Lama’s warning of dire times ahead, under the heel of the Chinese Communists.

Continued flights, estimated in the numbers of 1,000 to 2,500 a year (with survival rates that ranges from 10-40% depending on the time of the year, where many died from starvation, disease and the vagaries of climate and landscape), and a second exodus of 25,000 between 1986-1996, have resulted in small but flourishing Tibetan communities totaling to 220,000 Tibetans dispersed in most large cities of America, Europe and East Asia. With hundreds of Tibetan gompas and temples being built, Tibetan Buddhism has been dubbed as one of the fastest growing religions in the world.

The success of the Tibetan diaspora and establishment in both the Indian sub-continent and the West has much to do with being blessed by the right spiritual leader of that era:

The 16th Karmapa (the spiritual leader of the Kagyu order) through his foresight had prepared a sanctuary and a cache of treasure in Sikkim way before the 14th Dalai Lama’s flight. A wealthy and powerful order, his pre-planning and influence had enabled the Kagyu order to establish an independent foothold in exile.

Similarly, Dudjom Rimpoche (head of the Nyingma order), had the support of the natives of the border community who were Nyingma devotees in Darjeeling during the exodus, and has remained independent to date.

The 14th Dalai Lama on the other hand has won himself the repute of being a politician and spiritual man of rare integrity, acceptance and openness. Capitalising on his Tibetan devotees that provided the structure and a conduit for Western devotees, the 14th Dalai Lama had assumed a high media profile to further his crusade for the survival of Tibetan culture and the oppression of Tibetans in Tibet.

Non-Tibetan devotees in the heydays were diverse in personality, nationality, motive and intent; popular ones includes a French film-maker, an Indian Parsee grande dame, a Canadian ambassador, American and Scottish anthropologists and old-style hippie travelers who later established Tibetan Buddhist centres of their own in the West; all of which efforts have contributed towards the popular support for Tibetan Buddhism, the 14th Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government in exile’s political agenda and private promotion of numerous lamas who would continue to travel to the West.

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50 years on, there is a new generation of lamas educated in India, Nepal and the West, who never knew the rigours of Tibet and has been surrounded by a contemporary materialistic social environment.

50 years on, funds have poured into the lama’s coffers from across the world, extending to the new raising economies of North East and South East Asia whose practices and demands varies; giving rise to psycho-magical rites for devotees longevity, wealth, health and success – a concept where conspicuous consumption and Buddhism in one is loath by Tibetans, Indian sub-continent and post-Christian West.

50 years on, accusations of charlatanism, commercialism, power-politicking, exploitation of the naive (and weak – psycho-sexual training methods with female disciples by unscrupulous gurus), primitive shamanic practices, immoral behaviour and radically different teachings has crept in *.

Despite all of this and the evolution of the religion, Tibetan Buddhism in ‘borrowed lands’ has culminated in more followers than the population of Tibet.

But more heart retching is: despite all of the media attention, global acceptance and international endorsement of the Tibetan government in exile (with 10 Central Tibetan Administration offices in the world: New Delhi, India; New York, USA; Geneva, Switzerland; Tokyo, Japan; London, UK; Canberra, Australia; Paris, France; Moscow, Russia; Pretoria, South Africa; and Taipei, Taiwan) the disproportionately high numbers of women (lamas aside) who had survived the first exodus and had spent half a century or so in secluded refugee centres in the Himalayan plains knows only of one Tibetan culture and one spiritual leader whom they rest their hopes on for a better Tibet and a return trip to Tibet, their homeland.

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* ‘Dance of 17 Lives’ by Mick Brown – a good, light read that provides a broad overview of Tibetan Buddhism and in-depth account of the Kagyu school, the 16th and 17th Karmapa, and a colourful in-sights of the charlatanism, commercialism, power-politicking, exploitation, primitive shamanic practices, immoral behaviour (drugs and sex) and radically different teachings.

The 4 Schools of Tibetan Buddhism : (1) The Nyingma School – the ‘old school’ (2) The Kagyu School - ‘teaching lineage’ (3) The Sakya School – ‘gray earth’ (4) The Gelugpa School – ‘virtuous school’. The 14th Dalai Lama is from the Gelugpa school.

Click HERE for a summary of the differences in the 4 Schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Hashish Children of Kullu

ganpenelope — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:18:24 +0000

Set against picturesque backdrops of high mountain passes, the gushing Beas River, lush apple orchards, bucolic alpine meadows and glacier, in Himachal Pradesh lies secluded hamlets infamous for its world class charas (Hindi for hashish).

Grown wild, traditionally the locals use the hemp fibre for ropes and to weave traditional shoes, with seeds being kept aside for its medicinal properties. However, in the 70s, hippies from the West flocked this pristine valley in search of a cosmic high.

With a perfect micro climate – sun-drenched ridges and healthy soil, Kullu Valley’s cannabis plants grow in abundance and is reputedly the cream of the crop; with ‘Malana Cream’ ranking the best in the International Cannabis Cup event held annually in Amsterdam. Other brands include AK-47, Russian Mist and Space Ball.

Raking in approximately Rs 900 crore per annum, naturally the locals cashed in on the trade, alongside a nexus of expats, local peddlers and international smugglers. With the emergence of a mini-Colombia sort of cartel in the Kullu Valley, comes a host of problems that has spurred aggressive crackdowns by the Indian police and the Narcotics Control Bureau under the supervision of the Inspector General of Police.

However, local and international media attention in particular seems to concentrate only on news of missing foreign nationals in the Kullu Valley such as Israeli-American backpacker Amichai Shtainmetz, British Ian Mogford, Israeli Nadav Mintzer, and Guy Daudi, Canadian Ardavan Taherzadeh, Rotterdam Maarten de Brujin, Russian Alexei Ivanoc, Australian Burfitt Jacqueline Louise, and the perhaps the most notoriously covered is Anna Bartlett a 25-year old British girl whose body was washed up in a river. The fact is almost 50,000 foreign tourists visit the valley every year, with Israelis making the majority of them. As per official records, 57 foreigners have died in the region due to accidents and ‘accidents’, attributed to trekking and drug overdose. Unofficial records suggests that a relatively high percentage of missing foreigners are ‘missing’ or ‘dead’ … having chosen to settle in the valley and join the burgeoning illegal trade that is controlled mostly by the Israelis and Italians.

Nothing worthy is being mentioned about the government’s stance on the issue, its action plans to curb cultivation of cannabis, stricter law enforcement on cultivators and smugglers, and/or preventive measures and assistance to locals who are ‘forced’ into the cartels’ trap. Whilst there are countless of NGOs (both locally and internationally funded) and state-run institutions around the Kullu Valley that assist and educates children who are orphans, handicapped and lately the Rajasthani nomadic community, nothing is done for the children who lives in the hashish hamlets. They not only remain in an intricate web of an international cartel ring of smugglers, but are increasingly driven further into places that are physically inaccessible and by all imagination uninhabited by any sizable population of humans to avoid detection by enforcement agencies.

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For my personal account of this photo story, read HERE {warning: mere rantings}