Rave rage hits Goa before New Year Newindpress.com Thursday December 29 2005 21:45 IST
ANJUNA BEACH: It could not have been a worse end to a year of partying for the global trance trippers, who have collected on Goa's famed Anjuna Beach-for the first time in 25 years, the administration has come down with its heavy hand on the revellers and banned rave parties in the trance circuit of Anjuna-Vagator-Shapora, in north Goa. The silence is so spooky it's almost spectral-from Disco Valley to Hilltop, Shiva Valley to Temple Place, Bamboo Forest to Monkey Valley, it's a dead-end zone. Hoteliers are nervous, there will be a near riot if the thousands, from Birmingham to Mumbai, have nowhere to go, they fear. The lucrative cottage tourism industry in the villages of the circuit is teetering on its feet. Ritzy revellers stare hopelessly into the horizon. The avowed and notable reason for the rave ban being the drug menace at rave parties, the illicit narcotics trade of recreational and hard drugs like ecstacy, cocaine, heroin, and other substance abuse. The police, local administration, politicians, even the church and some sections of the media have all whipped up rave rage, with obvious consequences of cultural policing and moral brigades stalking the landscape. Goa is a drug haven, they cry, we have to save our children and country. Naturally, Inspector General of Police, Ujwal Mishra, is unmoved when he says firmly, "We will not tolerate consumption of drugs. Rave parties are the marketplace for drug dealers and users. You can smell drugs in the air when you walk into these parties." Officials, however, say the narcotics team has barely had any success in cracking down on big dealers. Mishra admits his force has not made any drug arrests at rave parties despite several raids. "The police have banned parties in a pre-emptive action against the narco trade," he says.For the locals, who depend on the tourist trade-from the dozens of cheap rooms rented to travellers, to cafes, bike hires, even the chai shops run at rave parties-the loss is huge. Says the doughty Laxmibai, a chaiwalli regular at the raves, "The big hotel patrons will get their rich clients, but what will become of us poor people who depend on the small spender for our living? The government has robbed usof our income now." It's a story heard everywhere in Anjuna/Vagator-the lodger who has rooms to spare, to the taxi driver who has his car idling in the parking lot.In Goa, however, the debate hits an unusual spot-it was trance raves that put Goa on the global map, by banning raves, it could hurt Goan tourism. As Heidi Smith from London puts it, "Today, Goa trance raves are held over the world, except in Goa." Goa Trance got its name from the music that morphed out of the electronic dance music of the industrial artists of Europe who influenced the party hosts, later known as DJs, of Goa. It was in the early '90s, when an exciting, unique sound emerged from the beaches of Anjuna and Vagator, now synonymous with trance shamans like Goa Gill, Shiva Chandra, Infected Mushroom, Etnica, Astrix. They were to set the standards for future releases of the genre, worldwide. Tourism Minsiter Dr Wifred D'Souza is unimpressed. "Who cares about those tourists who want the rave experience. There are many tourists who do not want it either. Anyway, we have not banned rave parties, anyone can have a party until 10 pm," he says. Apart from an overzealous administration, there are the conspiracy theories that electrify local imagination: If it is not political foes settling scores (the Congress-ruled state does not want to indulge the BJP MLA of Anjuna/Vagator) then perhaps, the club house owners want a monopoly by banning competitors from raves. The three well-known clubs in the area are allowed all-night parties and have hit the jackpot this season with overflowing night-to-dawn parties. The vivid image of drug-induced raves are given publicity through local newspapers. The church has also leapt in-local priests have cast the first stone at night bazaars and parties. The protests now have an eerie anti-outsider campaign, say hoteliers and locals. Perhaps, the solution lies in the options given by art gallery owner and practising psychiatrist, Subodh Kerkar: "The authorities could designate areas for rave parties and maintain strict vigilance to check drug sales." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Goa - 2005 Santosh Trophy Champions | | | | Support Soccer Activities at the grassroots in our villages | | Vacationing in Goa this year-end - Carry and distribute Soccer Balls | --------------------------------------------------------------------------
