Bhang Journeys

Illuminate the fascinating, lesser-known subcultures of cannabis consumers and cultivators in India with Bhang Journeys by Akshaya Bahibala!

About the Book: “Bhang Journeys illuminates a subculture of drug consumers and cultivators in India. Sincere and gripping, this [is a] genre-bending book … of lesser-known stories that are all powered by cannabis.”—Asian Review of Books

For a decade—from 1998 to 2008—author Akshaya Bahibala lived in the grip of cannabis, smoking ganja and drinking bhang while experiencing the highs and lows of life among hippies, backpackers, and dropouts on the beaches of Puri. After pulling back from the edge and rebuilding his life as a worker, salesman, and bookseller, Bahibala penned this extraordinary, genre-bending book. Starting with fragmented memories of his lost decade, he travels across Odisha to capture the vivid, untold stories of people whose lives revolve around intoxicants: a proud government-approved bhang shop owner who believes his product inspires Christ-like forgiveness; an opium-cutter who crafts tiny tablets with mustard oil; villagers clashing with excise officers; and a ganja farmer arriving in the forests via helicopter. Interspersed with official UN reports, seizure statistics, and traditional recipes for bhang laddoos and sharbat, Bhang Journeys is a surprising, entertaining, and deeply human mix of celebration and caution.

Key Features & Benefits:

• Unique Genre-Bending Narrative: Combines gripping memoir elements with investigative storytelling, cultural history, and reportage.

• Fascinating Regional Insights: Explores the hidden subcultures, farming practices, and everyday lives surrounding cannabis and opium in Odisha.

• Extra Extras: Features historical data, UN medical property reports, and authentic traditional recipes for bhang treats.

• The Perfect Gift: An engaging, thought-provoking present for readers of non-fiction, cultural anthropology, alternative memoirs, and Indian literature.