As you might have noticed, today is a very special day. No, we are not one to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday. In fact, it is the World’s Biggest Joint Venture Day, the day of the Rolling Stone(r)s … err … forgive the miserable puns there, and before you succeed in closing this email down, let me get to the point.
April 20 or 4/20 (even, 420) is nothing short of an annual holiday for subscribers to the marijuana counterculture. Every year, on April 20 or on ‘Weed Day’, as it’s called, partakers get together and smoke marijuana together. Of course, it seems a little less possible this year due to the Coronavirus and the Big Indian Lockdown.
So, here’s a tiny trivia about the exact significance of the number ‘420’. Theorists and writers all over the world have laid assumptions about it being associated with Hitler, who we’ve met above. Some others have suggested that the date comes from “420” being a code among police officers for “marijuana smoking in progress”. None of those, however, we reckon, would have considered a bunch of American high-schoolers from San Rafael High School in Marin County, California who started using “420” as a shorthand for smoking marijuana at 4.20 pm outside of their school.
Apparently, 4.20 pm was when all the extra-curricular activities got over. One thing led to another and one of the five high-schoolers who used to call themselves the ‘Waldos’ went on to become a roadie for Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. The term ‘420’ caught on and in 1990, it was printed on the band’s flyers inviting people to smoke “420” on April 20 at 4.20 pm. One of the flyers got in the hands of Steve Bloom, a former reporter for High Times magazine. Since 1998, the Waldos have been considered the original creators of 420.
Over the years, Homegrown, as a cultural platform has dealt with various aspects of marijuana consumption. Marijuana, unlike what the general perception is, is not just an intoxicant or a product of consumption for entertainment purposes. Innovation has led to it being used to extract medicinal, artisanal and even sartorial use out of it. Even though, according to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the flowers and resins of the cannabis plant are illegal in India, hemp plants or the leaves and seeds of the cannabis plant are not.
I. We Spoke To 4 Indians Who Are Using Cannabis Oil As Medicine
For generations now, we have had wisdom to heal the body, however, it is bewildering that we have restrained ourselves in the field of discovery in what the marijuana plant can do as far as medicine is concerned. The same plant that has played such a vibrant role in India’s own history, both culturally and agriculturally. If the Vedas are to be believed, we signed on for the boons of cannabis early on. As per its labelling, it was one of “five sacred plants and a guardian angel lived in its leaves. It was considered “a source of happiness, a joy-giver, liberator that was compassionately given to humans to help us attain delight and lose fear.” India is a country where marijuana farming has traditionally been the source of livelihood for many farmers.
II. 420 in India of the 1970s: Dum Maro Dum & Zeenat Aman
Retro Bollywood is usually only associated with flowery romance or hyper melodrama. However, the 1970s stand out for how far Bollywood experimentation was taken during this decade. The queen of all things bold was certainly Zeenat Aman and if there’s one song that could be said to have captured the zeitgeist of the era, it won’t be any other than ‘Dum Maro Dum’ from Dev Anand’s 1971 hit ‘Haré Rama, Haré Krishna’.
III. The Euphoric History Of Bhang In India
Procurred from the buds and leaves of the female cannabis plant, the infamous bhang offers a strange insight into a country which often takes a prudish view of ‘intoxicating vices’. Bhang has held a position of spiritual and religious significance since ancient times, with many accounts referring to it as ‘God’s Gift’. One account states that when nectar was being churned from the ocean, Lord Shiv supplied the bhang from his own body in order to purify the concoction. Another account states that some nectar fell on the ground resulting in the bhang plant. Bhang is regarded as an anxiety-reliever in the Atharvaveda and is frequently associated with Lord Shiva, who is said to have discovered and avidly consumed it.
IV. 420 High: 5 Dope Movies To Watch This Quarantine
It’s 420 for an entire month and we’re locked down due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Most people are bummed out that all their outdoor activities have been cancelled due to the growing number of positive cases. Amidst all this, we can assure you that stoners are not one of these people. Stoners are content with staying indoors, getting baked and stocking up on munchies even under normal circumstances, so the lockdown is nothing out of the ordinary for them.
V. Smoking Up On Vintage: Mumbai-Based Artist Uses Collage To Dismantle The Stigma Around Cannabis
A collage artist from Mumbai who goes by the name @psycollagist on Instagram has recently featured a series of collages with the intention of dismantling the stigma around cannabis through decontextualisation. He makes use of vintage imagery and images of cannabis to create novel juxtapositions through the craft of collage. He says, “The process of creating a collage is quite mysterious as it comes extremely close to mimicking the primary patterns of the human subconscious… Putting dissimilar pieces together, to suggest something completely different is only possible through the means of collage.”
VI. A Stunning Photo Series On Malana Village’s Vanishing Cannabis Culture
Photojournalist Harikrishna Katragadda’s ‘Malana’ photo-series documents the vanishing culture of an isolated village situated in the Parvati valley. Famous for its export quality hash called ‘Malana Cream’, the villagers residing here are mainly dependent on cannabis cultivation for their livelihood despite much legal pushback. Harikrishna’s documentary is an evocative glimpse into the lives of those residing in these little-explored terrains engaged in a much-debated profession.
VII. 7 Indian Companies On The Forefront Of The Hemp Revolution
Now, Hemp is finding itself in the nucleus of a booming industry – textiles, shoes, food, paper, rope, even biofuel and bioplastics. Hemp Seed Oil is a blessing for skin, whereas clothes made out of the hemp fabric are durable and last longer than quite a few of its counterparts. Many Indian companies are fast closing in on the multifaceted uses of this Cannabis strain – and are championing sustainability and economy with their hemp products. Here’s a list of 7 such companies!
VIII. Blazing Through The Real Origins Of ‘420’
Whichever way you look at it, the fact remains that today, 420 is here to stay. For over four decades, it has been the battle cry of a sub-culture. So now that you know where it comes from, go ahead and spark one up in honour of The Waldos, The Bebes, The Deadheads and of course, Mary Jane.
Feature image courtesy: (L) India TV ; (R) @psycollagist