Imagine telling someone your surname is Ganjawala, only to hear the same joke for years: “So, do you have maal?”

For singer Kunal Ganjawala, that joke has apparently been part of life for a long time. But behind the unusual surname, he says, lies a family story that dates back to colonial India — when his ancestors allegedly cultivated ganja for medicinal purposes and supplied the crop to the government.

The revelation has caught attention at a particularly interesting moment. Cannabis has once again become a talking point after a recent Air India pilot drug-test controversy. Yet, while today's conversation is largely about safety and regulation, Kunal's story takes us back to a time when cannabis was part of a government-regulated system in India.

So, what exactly did he reveal? And how much of the story can history confirm?

What Did Kunal Ganjawala Reveal About His Family?

In an interview with Dubai-based radio jockey and content creator Parikshit Balochi, the singer spoke about his family history and the origins of his name.

According to reports quoting the interview, he said his ancestors cultivated ganja during the British Raj for medicinal purposes. The family reportedly supplied the crop to the government and continued the occupation until around 1942.

He also claimed that the family was not operating illegally. According to his recollection, they were licensed, the government procured their produce and the family received certain privileges, including tax exemptions and the title “Rao Saheb.”

There is an important caveat here: these specific details come from the singer's account of his family's past. They should not be confused with independently verified archival evidence about his ancestors.

Why Has Cannabis Suddenly Come Into The Spotlight Again?

The timing of the revelation has added another layer to the story.

On August 4, 2026, an Air India Phuket-Delhi flight experienced a sudden altitude drop of around 300 feet, reportedly injuring 24 passengers and crew members. The captain subsequently came under investigation after an initial drug screening indicated possible marijuana use. Both pilots were removed from duty pending the investigation, while authorities continue examining technical and human factors.

That incident has renewed public discussion around drug testing, aviation safety and impairment.

It is important, however, not to connect the two stories beyond the timing. The Air India investigation and Kunal's family history are unrelated.

What makes the comparison interesting is the changing context: a substance now discussed largely through the lens of regulation and safety was also cultivated and studied in colonial India under government oversight.

Was Cannabis Really Regulated During The British Raj?

Yes - and this is where the story gets much more interesting.

Cannabis was not simply an underground substance during colonial rule. The British administration studied its cultivation, preparation, trade, consumption, taxation and effects.

The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission conducted an extensive inquiry in 1893-94, interviewing nearly 2,000 witnesses across India. Its report covered everything from cultivation and preparation to taxation, administration and medical uses. The original records are preserved by the National Library of Scotland.

The historical records also show that indigenous physicians used hemp preparations for certain ailments. One set of testimonies recorded the use of bhang by native physicians and described hemp as having antispasmodic and anodyne properties.

This does not prove that Kunal's ancestors had the exact role he describes. But it does establish an important point: regulated cultivation and medicinal use were very much part of the historical landscape.

Img Src : The Indian Express 

What Was The Cannabis Used For?

The most striking part of the revelation concerns its alleged medical purpose.

Kunal said his ancestors cultivated the crop for medicinal needs and supplied it to the government. He further recalled that medicines were produced from the crop, including what he described as opium-based injections for cancer patients.

Cannabis and opium were different substances, and the colonial administration had separate systems around them. While historical documents establish medicinal discussions around hemp and extensive government interest in both hemp and opium, the specific claim about his family's crop being used for particular cancer injections remains part of Kunal's family recollection.

In other words, it is safer to say he recalled this happening than to present it as independently established medical history.

Why Did His Family Stop Cultivating It?

According to the singer, the family profession continued until around 1942, shortly before or around the period of the Quit India Movement.

A longer account of the same interview says the family later moved into steel furniture and safe-making in Mumbai. It also mentions a family business called Crown Steel and an alleged connection with Godrej.

These details are intriguing, but they also come from the interview account and would require separate archival or business records for independent verification.

The larger point is clear: the family story, as Kunal remembers it, did not end with cannabis. It evolved into a completely different line of work.

What Does The Ganjawala Surname Actually Mean?

This is probably the question most readers will have.

For years, the Kunal Ganjawala surname has naturally been associated with the Hindi word “ganja”. Kunal, however, says there is a historical explanation behind the association.

He recalled that people would sometimes joke with him by asking whether he had “maal”. His answer was that he neither smoked nor consumed such substances.

The irony is hard to miss.

A name that became a source of modern-day jokes may actually preserve a story about an ancestral occupation from a very different period of Indian history.

Img Src : Social News XYZ

Kunal Ganjawala’s Balochi Hindu Heritage

The family history does not end with the cannabis connection.

In the same interview, Kunal identified himself as a Balochi Hindu and spoke about his community's links to Balochistan. He said the community traditionally uses the surname Bhansali and referred to the Mahahinglaj Mata temple, a major pilgrimage site associated with the region.

This gives the Ganjawala surname another layer of context. His family story involves not just an unusual occupation but also migration, community identity and ancestral roots that predate modern political borders.

What Is Fact And What Is Kunal's Family Account?

This distinction matters.

Historical records independently establish that cannabis was cultivated, traded, studied and regulated in colonial India. The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission's records provide substantial evidence of this, including discussions around cultivation, taxation, administration and medicinal uses.

However, the following details remain claims attributed to Kunal's family history:

• His ancestors specifically cultivated the crop for the British government.
• They received land-tax exemptions.
• They were given the “Rao Saheb” title.
• They were recognised as licensed pharmacists or druggists.
• Their produce was used for the specific medical preparations he described.
• The precise origin of the family name.
• The reported Crown Steel-Godrej connection.

That distinction is important because a fascinating family recollection deserves to be reported without turning an anecdote into an unverified historical fact.

From Colonial Cannabis To Modern Regulation

India's legal framework around marijuana looks very different today.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 created a stringent framework for controlling narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The Act contains specific provisions dealing with cannabis, including restrictions and penalties relating to cultivation and other activities.

That is why the historical context matters.

The story isn't simply about a singer whose surname sounds like a cannabis reference. It shows how the meaning, regulation and public perception of a substance can change dramatically across generations.

A Surname With A Story Behind It

For years, the name Kunal Ganjawala may have sounded like an invitation for a joke.

His recent revelation offers another way of looking at it.

According to his account, the name carries a connection to a family profession that existed during colonial India, when cannabis was part of a regulated and documented system of cultivation and trade.

Whether every detail of that family history can eventually be confirmed through archival records remains an open question.

But the revelation does something valuable: it reminds us that surnames can carry stories of occupations, migrations and communities that are almost forgotten today.

And sometimes, the name everyone laughs about turns out to have a history worth investigating.