Rave'age of secret shindigs

Partygoers in the city don’t seem to have had their fill of blaring music at nightclubs. In a city which is not known for its nightlife, youngsters are slowly managing to change the scene completely! While the rest of the city sleeps, rave parties are organised in hush-hush locations and outskirts, amping up the level of fun and risk! We get in touch with a few “ravers” who frequent such parties and get the scoop on how they manage to keep it secret, their close calls, and more…

Mostly held at farmhouses in the outskirts of the city or being labelled as “house parties” rave parties are becoming increasingly popular again. But they have a catch!

“The guest list is very limited. Invites only usually extend to the very tight circle for obvious reasons,” reveals Arun, a 25-year-old. “Most of the time, venues are usually around an hours long drive from the city, at private farmhouses or guest houses so it can accommodate that many people (away from prying eyes). Staying the night is the best option, as the risk of driving back and getting caught is high later,” he adds.

The notion is that most rave parties include the use of hard substances and chemicals, that if often overdosed on, can be extremely dangerous. Aditi, a 23-year-old says, “I think films and music videos have given people the dramatised version at these parties. Not that terrible instances never take place.

There have been times when people have overdone it and surpassed their limits, and caused a lot of panic, but it’s not as common as it is portrayed in films. But now, we usually just roll a couple of joints and carry some baked brownies in order to loosen up. We mostly make sure there are no hard substances as we don’t take risks.”

But have there been close calls, with authorities? “There have been a couple of close calls over the years but it was mostly because of the noise complaints at these ‘hideouts’ in the city which is why most raves happen on the outskirts now.

That’s our way of ‘playing it safe’” teases a local DJ Amit who frequents these parties. “Before I was a little scared about being caught too, but then I realised it’s like any other party, without constraints — smoke, drink what you want and completely let go of inhibitions” he laughs, clearing the air.

 *Names have been changed to protect identity