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Part 3
Come, meet Kullu's foreign godfathersJosy Joseph
In Kullu, this beautiful vale in Himachal Pradesh, westerners have invaded many a village with their love and money. There are scores who have settled down here after marrying local residents. Some had no motive other than love. Others, however, saw much beyond. To such, Kullu is the den of drugs. A place where you can lose yourself in hashish smoke. Or be party to a trade where the returns are just mind-boggling. The district authorities say there are "at least 100 foreigners" who have married and settled down in the valley. At the foreigner's registration office, on an average two non-Indians married to locals report every day. They pick up the language, the culture, and become part of the valley. "Those who report to us could probably be genuine. There are many who don't come before us at all," says Kullu District Superintendent of Police N Venu Gopal. In places like Kasol and Jibi, settlements of foreigners resemble western villages, with shopping plazas that sell everything from German bread to pizza. The marriages, police say, could be due to three reasons. Some just fall in love with the village beauties or the handsome young men. Others fall in love with the place. And then there are the ones who marry so that they can exploit the law and stay on. As per the Indian law, if a foreigner marries an Indian, he is entitled to a five-year extension on his visa. "That is probably a major reason for marrying locals," admits a senior district official. There are many foreigners who are overstaying in Kullu. "A major lure for them to settle down in the valley is undoubtedly the drugs," admit district officials, who find it hard to track down such 'tourists'.
And almost every week, the police apprehend foreigners who have violated visa norms. "Many of them trek to far-off villages and hire out rooms. They stay there to avoid us," says Venu Gopal. Narcotics Control Bureau officials say that most foreigners who overstay for long periods are involved in the drug trade. "The trade gives them a lot of money," says NCB Zonal Director Rakesh Goel. "Earlier it was the villagers who used to grow and extract hashish. Now there are several foreigners who are involved in the cultivation." The foreigners invest money in cannabis plantations, sometimes bring in hybrid cannabis seeds, and finally smuggle out the products. In the last 15 years, there have been over 107 cases of narcotics smuggling against foreigners, wherein 118 of them have been arrested. Police records also show that the number of such cases is going up every year. "Not all foreigners are bad. More than 90 per cent of them come here due to genuine interest in nature," says Venu Gopal. IN the Kullu sub-jail, there are many foreign detainees awaiting trial. "It is the firangis who have destroyed Kullu," says Ram Sing, a local resident. "Our youths have got addicted to this business, some of them take drugs... The youth is not interested in education."
ON TO PART 4
Photographs: Josy Joseph
Valley of Vice | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |Part 4
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POLICE records reveal the depth of this problem. At least 73 tourists have been booked for violating the Foreigners Act in the last 15 years -- and most of these cases have been registered recently.
As easy money lures more into the narcotics trade, the villages are losing touch with the real world. Education is something the youngsters here can do without, thank you. They know easier -- and quicker -- way to earn a living.