Drug Use on the Hummus Trail
The Hummus Trail — for those of us who don’t know — refers to the trail of places in India which are frequented by a great deal of Israeli youths who come to India during their gap year, to blow off some steam after serving their mandatory army service of two years.
With the hefty bonus that each member of the IDF gets, some go to Europe, some go to South East Asia and some go to Africa. Interestingly though India in particular consistently features high on the Israeli destination list, so much so that Isrealies sometimes literally inundate the tourist scene in certain places. Places like Kasol, Pushkar, Gokarna have signs in Hebrew and restaurants that cater specifically to homesick Israelis. Kasol, also known as “Little Israel” also has a jewish prayer house which was built only to cater to the Israeli tourists that stay in Kasol and wish to have a community worship space.
What is it about India that so many people, each year choose to spend their bonus on travelling the country?
It’s quite obvious that everything in India is much cheaper as compared to other countries in the Israeli post army youth’s destination list. With one flight ticket you can spend your summers in the beautiful and breathtaking Himalayas and then in the harsh winters, descend down to the golden lively beaches of Goa and Gokarna via the enchanting forts of Rajasthan. Israeali tourists are known to find the best, most serene spots in the country to unwind and relax amidst nature.
There is also a very prominent tourist attraction that is a common factor in almost all Israeli tourist experiences. This is of drug use. One of the most unspoken yet important reasons for Israeli backpackers frequenting India is the easy accessibility of drugs. It is commonly believed that the trauma and hardships that are faced by these travellers in the military manifests into a need to “unwind” through the use of varied recreational drugs. According to a report in Jewish Journal about a documentary on Israeli Soldier men — about 90% of Israeli travellers in India use drugs. The name “hummus trail” is itself a nod to the “hippie trail” from the 70’s and 80’s which was also known for its eccentric drug culture.
A lot of drug supply chains and ecosystems depend on the Israeli ex soldier market. It is extremely common to find people doing drugs in open public spaces — untouched by state forces — in most of the famous towns along the hummus trail. While a lot of Israelis use this experience to escape their past of brutal military work, for some the Hummus trail leads them to an early ticket out of India back to Israel.
In the 2007 documentary “Flipping Out”, the director Yoav Shamir explores drug use among the Israeli youth, and finds that each year there are instances of men and women overdosing to the point of losing a sense of reality. A lot of them are rescued by a man called Magnus Hlik, who specializes in rescuing these “flipped out” youths and ensuring their immediate and safe return to Israel, as they are many times on the verge of self destruction.
