IS IT the love of the place and its people or the need to undertake some spiritual quest or the irresistible lure of drugs that attracts many foreigners to settle down in Kulu-Manali?

Oxana, a Russian, with her husband Deepak, a resident of Naggar village, near Manali

Kulu not only attracts the highest percentage of foreign tourists in Himachal but invariably every village in and around Manali has a foreigner married to a local. In fact, at times, it is even difficult to identify them and distinguish them from the locals. Attiring themselves in the traditional Kulu dress and speaking the local dialect, they have integrated themselves well in the rural life. Almost 10 per cent of the 27,000 foreigners visiting Kulu district during the last one year, wanted to stay back permanently, says the police.

While Gilbert, a French national, has been married to Heera Devi of Naggar village for the past 25 years, there are at least half a dozen other foreigners who have settled here permanently, entering into matrimony with locals. "I just fell in love with Manali the first time I came here and decided to make it my home," says Veyrard Gilbert, attired in a kurta-pyjama and a Kulu cap.

Looking every inch a local, he is resentful of the prying nature of Indians. "Like any other villager, I also work hard in the fields and run a guest house to give good education to my four daughters," he says. The mere mention of foreigners being involved in illegal narcotics trade is enough to enrage him. It is wrong to link everyone to drugs, he asserts, while admitting that many come here only for dope.

Gilbert has got his two French-speaking teenaged daughters engaged to local boys. The four girls have both Indian as well as French names and have studied in the government school in the village. They have never visited their father’s homeland in France but once in a while their grandparents do come visiting them.

Eve King, an English woman, has been residing in Fozial village near Patlikuhl for the past five years

While Gilbert, after having spent a major part of his life here, is completely at ease with rural life, there are others like Oxana, a Russian married to a local youth, who is still struggling to adjust to the new life she has chosen, transcending national religious and cultural barriers. Oxana, who was a university teacher back home in Moscow, married Deepak Kayastha, a year ago. "I fell in love with Deepak, who was our trekking guide, when I first visited Kulu, but eventually it was my need to gain spiritual knowledge and a keen interest in ayurveda that made me choose India as my permanent home," she reflects. The couple run an ayurvedic health club in Naggar village. During winter, they move to Jaisalmer, which is thronged by foreign tourists at that time of the year.

"I have come to realise that reality is always different from ones expectations, but I do not regret my decision as Deepak is a big support and helps me understand Indian traditions and culture," she opines. Being a devotee of Lord Shiva, she observes a fast on Shivratri. Fond of Indian cuisine, her diet is strictly vegetarian, which she feels is very healthy.

Accepting Oxana as their daughter-in-law has been easy for the retired Air Force Officer, Jai Chand Kayastha, as his elder son Vinod has also been married to a foreigner — a Belgian. Vinod’s wife Nadia helps him run the guest house and look after the family business. "There is nothing unusual about a local marrying a foreigner, as this has been a common practice in Kulu-Manali for the past few decades," explains a shopkeeper in Patlikuhl. While the police records show just twenty foreigners married to locals, their number is far more as many have not got their marriages registered. There are many more who are residing here permanently and have taken up professions like teaching or working with some NGOs.

"It is the warmth and friendly nature of the locals coupled with the stress-free and easy pace of life which makes the place ideal for settling down. It is, however, unfortunate that a large number of foreigners come to Manali, Manikaran, Vashisht, Naggar and Malana for drugs," says Oxana, whose friend Lisa, a Dutch, has been married to a local called Harinder for the past ten years. But would be wrong to relate every foreigner to drugs, she adds.

While there are a number of foreigners who have settled here permanently and lead a dignified life, there are many others who have brought disrepute to the place. Just three years ago, Kulu came into international focus, as there were reports of "missing foreigners" and large-scale drug smuggling in the area. Families of many of the foreigners who went missing in the valley came here booking for them but they remained clueless about the circumstances shrouding their disappearance.

An English woman, Eve King, who has been residing in Fozial village near Patlikuhl on the Kulu-Manali highway for the past five years is rather candid in expressing her views about the drug scene in the valley. "With strong and inexpensive drugs readily available in one of the most scenic areas, Kulu-Manali has no doubt emerged as the ultimate destination for those into drugs," she admits. Being a part-time Green Peace volunteer, she shuttles between Kulu and other places like Gujarat, Mumbai, Kerala and Nepal, as and when her services are required. Echoing her concern for the massive deforestation and the excessive use of chemical sprays, she hopes to spread environmental message in the area on a larger scale.

Not only the locals but a majority of the foreigners too admit that marrying an Indian was the easiest way to settle here permanently. Besides making the visa come through easily, marriage brings with it a family and home. It also suits the Indian spouse, who at times is in search of avenues to go abroad. Moreover, there is the advantage of easy flow of money from the family of their partner.