A good life blown up in smoke

DHENKANAL: He has frittered away most of his years smoking opium and gambling with what little money he earned. His dependence on the substance is such that with inflation pushing up the prices of everything, including opium and its by-products, he has devised an alternate, cheaper way of getting his high.
"I have been consuming opium in various forms for the last 25 years.With the price of opium increasing in the market, I have taken to buying the husk of poppy these days. I boil the husk in water and drink the liquid three times a day," said Dharamananda Patra of Dangapal village, which falls under the tribal-dominated Kankadahad block of Dhenkanal district.
Today, at the ripe age of 60, Dharama has realized that his addiction to opium and gambling have taken his life off track, in a direction he had never anticipated. He repents his years-long addiction.
But that hasn't stopped him from spending half his daily income on satisfying his intoxication needs. "I earn Rs 140 from selling wood and spend Rs 70 on opium daily," he said. He earns his meagre living by selling firewood in the local market. He rides 15 km to the forest on his bicycle every day to collect the firewood. His need for a high is greater than his body's requirement for food. He eats once a day but must get his kick thrice daily.
He believes the substance abuse bestows him with some superior physical strength that enables him to carry 80 kg of firewood on his bicycle from the forest to the market even at 60 years of age. His neighbour, Umakanta Mahanta, vouches for the fact that Dharama appears to be in top physical form until a few years ago, he used to walk 10 km every day to collect wood from the forest and carry bundles weighing 70 kg on his shoulder to the market. Though the addict remains intoxicated throughout the day, he is harmless and stays out of people's way, added Umakanta. He describes a very unusual incident in which Dharama was bitten by a poisonous snake a few months ago. The snake died on the spot but Dharama escaped unhurt.
It is not just the opium addiction that has eaten into Dharama's body, mind and earnings over the years. He was also hopelessly addicted to gambling, albeit he lost much more than he won. He made repeated losses in gambling for a long time, losing his family, land and property along the way.
Today, Dharama is the sole surviving member of his family and is left to fend for himself. His parents died some years ago. His wife deserted him just one year after they got married due to his voracious gambling habit. "The game is vicious, it has taken away my life, my spirit and family. My wife deserted me as I used to sell land, livestock and property in order to gamble. I sold more than 12 acre and wasted the money in gambling," he said. He also sold his two bullocks at a cattle haat for Rs 17,000, which he lost while gambling and returned home empty-handed, reminisced the sad, broken man.
Although he doesn't gamble any more, he can't seem to kick his opium addiction as it has become "a habit and inseparable part" of him, said Dharama.
On being asked whether he would like to de-addict himself, he replied there was nobody to take care of me and he can't do it on his own. "I have to earn my living to survive and to do the hard physical labour, I need opium to give me strength. Last year, I had applied for old-age pension at the Kankadahad block office, but the official in-charge denied me the pension saying I was 30 years old according to my voter's identity card.
Dharama is not the only poverty-stricken tribal resorting to drug abuse and gambling to make his miserable life more bearable. There are many more like him and what is fuelling the problem is a number of unauthorized businessmen selling opium in different parts of the block.
Bishnu Prasad Acharya, the BDO of Kankadahad block, admitted that he has received complaints of rampant selling of opium and gambling and said he was looking into the matter. Civil society leaders need to get involved to sensitize people to abstain from drugs and gambling, he said.