Punjab is hooked to drugs. In the recently concluded lok Sabha elections, it was a major issue and every political party raised it to target the ruling SAD-BJP Government even though its tentacles cuts across party lines. The Pioneer takes a look at the problem. In a series of stories beginning today, we will examine the issue in details and how the State agencies are dealing with it.
The “village of widows” is still wedded to sorrows.
Every time the elections approach, the candidates come in herds with their party men and their supporters; they arrive in cars and SUVs, driven by votes. They stay as long as it takes for the villagers to cast their votes; and leave for another few years, leaving an eerie silence in the village yet to part ways with its miseries.
Maqboolpura, a small parish in Amritsar, has so many families trying to cope up with the darkness of death that has descended on their households. Every family here mourns a death, every child knows what losing kin means. It’s a place where the dead men lost their bones. Hooked on a life of anguish from drug addiction, its men are dead; or are dying with little patience.
Christened as the ‘locality of widows and orphans’, it is hard to gauge the extent of drug abuse in this small locality near the hustle and bustle of fast-paced Amritsar city by reading a news report or watching it on television.
Only a visit to Maqboolpura can tell you how its inhabitants oscillate between euphoria due to drugs, and despair due to death in the family; how most of the men and young boys here are worried about their next dose; how wriggling in pain has over the time become a habit and hallucinations a routine; how a handsome youth, darling of his mother, fell into drug-trap from where he could never get out; how a father of four died of drugs even before he turned 30; how every home has a story to tell about struggle; and how Maqboolpura is living amongst the dead.
As per the available figures, 384 deaths have been reported from this town only since 1999, due to drugs. Not learning lessons from the gigantic number of deaths, nearly 300 more are reported to have been in to drugs.
As their houses were transformed from kutcha to pucca, people are living in poverty here — primarily caused by most employable males getting hooked to drugs.
The story of pain, agony, and loss echoes across all 13 lanes of this village. “I don’t know what’s wrong with the youngsters here...one after another, I lost my four sons. They take drugs all through the day...they ruined this house. I am left with only one son who is shadayi (a nympholept). I made my daughter-in-law to marry my son one after another following their deaths. And now, she is the one running the house by doing people’s household chores,” said Harnaam Kaur (name changed), who seems to be in her late 50s.
Another lady, Manjeet, told how she is coping with her doped husband who, despite several attempts, is finding it hard to get rid of drugs. “The drugs are easily available here. If they don’t get hard drugs, they use pain killers to remain on a high...it’s very difficult to survive with an amali, and running a house with few thousands in current scenario...wish I don’t have these kids,” said 30-year-old as she burst into tears.
“I am living at my maternal home as things didn’t work out between my husband and me. My brother takes drugs, and when we ask him to leave this habit, he beat me and parents. All he want is drugs...he has a group of bhangi (drug addict) friends and even one police man also accompanies them...They take drugs on our roof-top,” said a mother of two girls, who would be in her early 30s.
Acting as a ‘messiah’ for the kids and widows of Maqboolpura, a teacher couple — Master Ajit Singh and his wife Satpal Kaur — are providing them free education, meals, helping them learning the trades for survival, and much more.
Converting his two-storied house into a school named Citizen Forum Vidya Mandir, 54-year-old Master Ajit Singh has committed all his life for the local kids, rendered fatherless due to the menace. Started in 1999 with just 20 students, the school now has 665 children studying.
“All have the same problem...someone’s father has died, someone uncle, or grandfather, or brother has fallen prey to this deadly menace. Drugs is eating into our society...we are just making an effort to save our future from this and enable them to lead a better and respectable life,” said Master Ajit, sipping a cup of tea in his small office.
“My only effort is to provide them good education, so that they stay away from this scourge,” he said, as a cluster of girls, learning stitching in the evening classes, come to wish him. They all have a drugs-related story to tell.
Some boys, who are studying and have studied in Master Ajit’s school, too came. “They feel like home here...they stay here most of the time. And after listening to their songs, which they have prepared for Indian Idol’s audition, one thing was sure that sacrifices of this hardworking couple has succeeded in keeping the talent among the young ones alive.
Mohit, who once had his maternal grandparents’ home in Maqboolpura, explained how his four maternal uncles left for heavenly abode one after another because of drugs, that followed death of his grandparents, and his aunts left the village. “I have my friends here with whom I used to play whenever I came to my naniji’s home...but no one is here now,” said Mohit, who lived in Sultanwind, nearly four-kilometres away.
Masterji, as locals call him, told that an extension of Swami Vivekananda De-addiction Centre was opened here in January 31, 2013, “and many addicts went there for their treatment. It was quite effective. A total of 268 people voluntarily get themselves registered there...but owing to the want of funds for free medicines and shortage of doctors, it was shut down in October. And whatever little improvement it had made, all comes to nought”.
And the police, “despite knowing exactly who sells the drugs and from where they get it, they do nothing. In fact, many of them take drugs with the addicts” claimed one of the residents.