Indian Youth Raving Mad

What started as parties with electronic music and light shows has now transformed to something more sinister — we know them as rave parties. From wild bohemian parties to those centered around unbridled drinking and indulging in drugs, these have come a long way. People frequenting these parties are those who have “been there, done that” and are on the lookout for something more ‘fun’ to do. The usual fails to excite them and they resort to drugs and these parties promise copious amounts for a price.

When money flows free and the search for the ultimate pleasure knows no bar, rave parties seem the perfect place to be. Those egged on by friends end up at these parties, for at a young age peer pressure can be all important. Some of these people are just plain curious the first time around but there is every chance that they will get hooked… hooked to the ecstasy of a detrimental kind.

The police have been cracking down on these events. Contrary to popular perception, these gatherings are not just confined to the bigger cities but the trend has caught up with equal gusto in smaller towns as well.

Young people are invited to these events by sending out messages on popular social networking sites, with flyers handed out at clubs and SMSes circulated via cell-phones. Invitation is mostly at the discretion of the party planner, and entry strictly by invitation and entry fee. Held mostly at farmhouses or desolate places, utmost secrecy is maintained. These shindigs are all night affairs, with escalating degree of drunken merrymaking as the night progresses. Skimpily dressed women and men, high on booze and drugs make a bad combination. It is an invitation for trouble and trouble does brew; but often goes unreported for the party itself is unlawful in the first place.

Drugs are peddled and anyone can buy some. It is anybody’s guess, then, what a combination of endless booze, acid, music, dance and drugs can end up in – a lifetime of drug slavery or repercussions of a drunken brawl gone wrong! In an atmosphere so charged, anything that can go wrong goes wrong.

Recently the Mumbai police rounded up almost 100 people from a popular Juhu Hotel, many of them big names in their respective field. Apurva Agnihotri (TV star), Rocky S (fashion designer of repute) and many more were among 44 of those who tested positive. There had been MDMA (ecstasy) and cannabis on offer. Among others, the party host and owner of the Hotel, Vishesh Handa, also tested positive. Everyone was seen hiding their faces. If it was just about a fun night out, why were they so camera shy? Everyone feigned ignorance about it being a rave party. Then how come, so many tests turned out positive?

Despite the hullabaloo, it is unlikely that this menace will stop anytime soon. Only the invitations will become more discreet and the modus operandi, more high tech. These parties are not just dangerous, they are also illegal. There is violation of Section 36 of Excise Act as huge quantities of liquor are stocked without permission. 

The party is a private one when no payment is made for liquor or for entrance, but becomes commercial, the moment money changes hands. Then, a liquor license becomes a must. Even private parties are open to scrutiny if drugs have done the rounds at the party, whether or not the people are taking them and the organizer, too, is liable to be prosecuted. The logic is simple – except for pharmaceutical and some religious purposes, drugs are banned.

The problem is that Indians are embracing foreign culture with open arms without first being aware of its ramifications. We have to be very careful about the trends that we import and the ones that we should resist. Blindly aping the West is not a sure shot road to modernity. Such soirees are outlawed even there for the same reason that they are illegal here. It is a skewed form of fun that brings nothing but problems. Also, it funds international network of terrorism.

The immediate concerns regarding any rave party are drug overdose, health problems, drunken driving, violence and safety of women. Young people who attend these gatherings are ignorant and unmindful of the effects that these drugs can have on their lives. Their sole focus is gaiety at any cost, which can prove to be very dear in the long run. There is a need to educate young people about the effects of addiction as they only see the high side of it and are mostly unaware that just once is enough to ruin their life. There’s almost no looking back, then.

Youth is a difficult phase in one’s life; you are bogged down by peer pressure and urge to try new things. It gets increasingly difficult to make the right choice and losing yourself is easy. There is a need to educate people about the ills that plague the society. Brushing them under the carpet or bringing them up only when something goes wrong will not make it go away.

The government, along with social welfare institutions should take concrete steps to curb this menace. Giving exemplary and immediate punishment to those involved could be the first step. Let’s pledge that we will give our best to arrest this evil to its infancy.