Anjuna gets a hangover... In the 'seventies came the so-called full-moon parties. This usually happened on the full-moon day of each month. It meant four to five parties in each fair-weather season, between November to February-March.
By Bill Stephens Over the past fortnight, the small village of Anjuna has been in the news for its trance parties. In recent years, the former beach village has transformed from the old flower children days of the late 'sixties into being a happening party centre on the west coast of India. But what has it meant for the people of the village and visitors who are beyond the Trance scene? The transformation has been gradual but marked. The flower children came in the wake of Woodstock -- perceived by the mainstream of chasing the twin mantra of happiness and hypocrisy. After them, in the 'seventies came the so-called full-moon parties. This usually happened, as its name suggests, on the full-moon day of each month. Basically, it then meant about four to five parties in each fair-weather season, between November to February-March. At that time, there would be, at a maximum, around 300 participants at each such event. In those days, the 'parties' were more of a party-nature. In other words, everything was found for those attending the parties -- from part of the food, to some drinks and so-called recreational drugs like hashish or 'grass'. People didn't have to pay to attend. Food involved the making of hamburgers or sandwiches. In those days, locals participated, if at all, only by way of the chai-shops, small ventures selling tea, and usually set up shop by sitting on the sandy beach. For most in the village, who had very little of a Western background, the music would be alien. Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan still meant very little in the rustic world of Anjuna, except maybe to the limited number of expats returned from Africa in those days. The Who, the Rolling Stones, Blood-Sweat-and-Tears and Jethro Tull meant even less to the local ear. Those were the days when the land route from Europe to India was still open. This meant that electronic equipment and generators - - still largely unheard-of in Goa -- could be brought down via the land route to the beaches of Anjuna. By the time the land route was getting blocked -- due to turmoil in countries like Iran -- the small flea market grew into a big- time flea-market. Items ranging from used shoes to Mercedes wagons, at prices ranging around a lakh of rupees, could be picked up at the flea market then. There was no possibility of driving the vehicle back to Europe, and transferring the ownership to the buyers name was out of the question. Still, such transactions did take place. In those days, when imports into India were near impossible, and the country was still a closed economy which forbade its citizens from carrying even a dollar in their pocket, such transactions brought in a new reality into the village of Anjuna. Till this point of time, there would be largely taped or live music. Eminent musicians of the West also participated in these low-profile events, which hardly got any notice by the mainstream media away in Panjim. Live acid music and hard-rock was the norm. By the pre-dawn hours, when it was time for the end of the parties, the scene usually shifted to soft-rock. By the early 'eighties, the influx of money was visible in this trend. Mega-parties replaced the 'full moon' parties. One obvious change was that nothing was available for free. To 'party' and have a good time now cost money. Part of the fuel for the emergence of this commercialised party scene under the open skies was the emergence of the 'motorcycle pilot' as a growing institution in these parts of Goa. Hippy tourism's boom brought in enterprising local individuals, who saw an opportunity to earn money from ferrying Euro tourists. Some of Goa's earliest motorcycle 'pilots' were from the Anjuna and Mapusa areas. >From this point of time came in the heavy business. Earlier the earnings were more in terms of transporting hashish through wagons plying the overland route. Instances like the busting of the gang working out from what came to be known as the Charas Building at Saligao, where at least Rs 20 lakh work of narcotics were seized, is a case in point. (Eyewitnesses there say police themselves were seen making off with some of the seized contraband, raising questions over how the law-enforcing authorities interact with such a mafia. Hashish and 'grass' were bulky by nature. Over time, LSD and products like the so-called 'Californian sunshine' were not just lighter, but there were products which were either very small or even liquid in nature. These could even be transported via mail and became more easy to smuggle. Books like Goa Freaks by the late Dr Cleo Odzer, herself a hippy in the Anjuna of the 'seventies, give a good insight into how the scene operated there in those days. Because of the economics of the narco-market, the music scene also changed. Downers needed soothing music; uppers needed a wholly different brand of music. Today, with Ecstasy dominating the market, there is a direct need for trance music. And how the 'parties' have changed. No longer do parties start at 10 p.m. Since a Goa high court ban stopping late-night music organisers are shrewd enough to start their activities a few minutes after midnight. This is probably meant to allow them to argue that they're beginning on the day For this, normally permission is sometimes taken from the authorities, on the grounds that it is a private function. Villagers are largely in the dark about whether permission is taken or not, on what grounds this is given, and whether it is legal under what provision of the law. At the end of 2003, some four major parties were carried on the village. Both the authorities were aware of their existence, and this went on with local political support too. One of the parties started on December 31, non-stop, and went on till the morning of January 5, when schools in the area re-started after the X'mas vacations. One started on Monday night in the so-called Bamboo Forest. Two of the places which conduct such parties seem to stick to the time and close by 10 p.m. There are many issues that come up at the parties. In one of the parties, foreigners go in free while anyone without a brown skin have to pay. Many of the parties are free, and the economics is a complex institution. To organise a party, four vital ingredients are needed -- the venue (for which one has to pay the price), the DJs and the music scene (which some local organisers), the third is obvious political patronage. The most critical link in the entire chain is the person who sells the Ecstasy. Venues of the 'parties' have been rechristined with various exotic names. 'Disco Valley' is actually in between Ozran and Vagator. 'Bamboo Forests' is more towards Arpora. Other venues are privately-owned, closer to the beach, or at the entrance of Ozran. Strangely, local involvement -- at least among a growing number of vendors who have a stake in the 'parties' -- is used as a justification for carrying out the same. In the case of 'Disco Valley' and 'Bamboo Forests', a panchayat resolution has reportedly been taken years back to use these venues for the parties. In such a context, the impact on the village ethos is strongly felt. Older villagers from the area have little or no say about what happens in Anjuna. If they raise a voice in protest, the political and other interests are quick to play off their concerns against those with a commercial stake -- how-so-ever small -- in the parties. While the youngsters of the area get disoriented by the alien culture which they don't understand how to cope with, "success" is judged primarily in terms of the number of motorbikes an individual is able to own and hire out. Noise pollution continues to be an important issue in the area. People visit this former village throughout the night, whenever a party is underway. The steady stream of motorbikes makes life difficult for locals, particularly the elderly and children. Loud music goes on throughout the night. The same trance music continues to be played. "If you want to understand the music, check out Ecstasy and you'll understand," say some locals. Foreign visitors to the state, specially those who are above their 'forties and 'fifties, rue the changes and the noisy scene that has landed onto Anjuna. Those beyond 25 years old are simply too old to enjoy the trance scene. To draw the attention of potential audience, Chinese fireworks and flares are sent out to the skies just before midnight, as a signal of the venues where the party is to be organised. Supply creates its own demand, or so the organisers hope. Some sources believe that the local authorities misuse their position to shut off the lights in some areas, so that the crowd gravitates towards the party area, rather than continue in the restaurants where they are located. Over the years, the noisy scene in Anjuna has affected not just the villagers, but also the quality of tourists visiting the place. The tourist who visited the place in the past, including families that rented local homes and pensioners, has now opted out of visiting the area. Many voice their concern about the noisy village Anjuna has become. It is now for the authorities to act, to stop turning a blind-eye to the situation, and not play one section of the villagers against the others. Can our authorities act? It might be difficult, specially since for the first time now politicians themselves are directly involved in this scene. If nothing else, the citizens have a right to know what's going on. -- Stephens is a pseudonym chosen by the writer who first visited Anjuna in the in 1972, and has been closely following the transformation in the area. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
