Mapping the Cannabis Contradictions

Karan Madhok's travelogue, Ananda, uncovers India's sacred, cultural, medicinal, and political ties to ganja — revealing contradictions between prohibition, devotion, and legalization in the plant's many lives

- SANJEEV CHOPRA

In his search for cannabis in India, and India in cannabis, Karan Madhok (born 1984) began his wanderlust after quitting his Times of India job in Varanasi when he was in his 20s. Over an 86-day Bharat Darshan across dozens of cities in 11 states, staying in ashrams and inexpensive guest houses, he saw firsthand the gravitational force and sheer diversity in the origin, use and supply chain logistics of ganja. Charas, marijuana, weed, vijaya, bhang, pot, grass, hemp, maal, opium and other derivatives—known by different names in different regions—Malana Cream, Idukki Gold, Sheelavathi, Blue Curly, Black Gold and many more: Mary Jane grows by itself in many climes, is cultivated in other places, smuggled across borders, available in government-licensed shops, with itinerant monks, in ashrams, in ayurvedic spas and on the dark web through a channel called the Silk Route!