*Hippies brought drug culture in Goa *http://www.navhindtimes.in/goa-news/hippies-brought-drug-culture-goa
*BY SHAIKH JAMALUDDIN | NT *PANAJI: Hippies first descended on Goa mostly in South Goa beaches like Benaulim beach bringing drug culture with them. But they started thronging North Goa beaches at Vazarem, Vagator, Dando and Anjuna in Bardez taluka. Nowadays they are mostly seen on Morjim and Ashvem beaches in Pernem taluka. Narrating the journey of the hippie movement into Goa – the movement was most popular in the 1960s in the US and Europe -- authoritative sources said hippies were foreigners who used come from European countries like Spain, Germany, France, United Kingdoms, beside Israel and other nations. In 1970s they used to frolic on Goan beaches, and state authorities of that period could not rein in them. Hippie is a person who rejects the way that most people live mostly in western society, often having long hair, wearing brightly coloured clothes and taking illegal drugs. As arrival of monsoon came closer they would throng to northern states of India like Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. Hippies would go even to Tibet and Nepal. They used to live there for three-four months and come back to Goa with lots of narcotics. This trend is still seen among the hippies who sojourn in Goa. These hippies were music lovers and used to dance for long hours. Drugs and liquor would induce them into a trance state. The sources said that Afghan refugees also started coming to Goa who used to live at Vagator, Chapora, Anjuna, Arpora and Calangute in Bardez taluka. But when anti-narcotics cell was established they all ran away from the state. It is believed that some Bollywood blockbusters like Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971) also gave a boost to drug culture in the state. In an attempt to curb this rising menace the state government brought in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. The NDPS Act was notified on September 18, 1986. Armed with the NDPS Act, the police rolled up their sleeves to wipe out narcotic culture from Goa. If a person was caught with drugs there was no bail for him. He was made to cough up `1 lakh as fine and undergo 10-year imprisonment, the sources said. By early 1990s narcotic culture caught on with many children of affluent Goans, and many of them died of drug addiction. When flea markets took roots in Bardez beaches some school managements found that their students were bunking classes. Later the schools found that parents were using the students to run their trade in flea markets. Full-moon parties, where drugs are sold and consumed rampantly, ensnared hippies and locals as well. But these full-moon parties took a backseat after few years. Thereafter beach and rave parties raised their ugly heads. Now, these parties have become a crazy for locals. Drug addicts took hold of synthetic drugs like Mandrax, LSD, Speed and Ecstasy. Nowadays Catamine and velium are used as intoxication which are sold in pharmacies along the coastal belt, the sources informed. -- -- Mayabhushan Nagvenkar 1392, Anjuna, Bardez, Goa pin code 403509 # 09420976862 http://www.ardh-satya.blogspot.com http://www.ganimikawa.blogspot.com
