Holi. The spring festival of hot pink gulal and pichkaris; of roaming the streets with coloured faces and shouting ‘Holi haii…’ at random strangers; of dancing in coloured water till your legs turn sore and your voices turn hoarse, is an unbridled celebration for many. But for Hyderabad’s young men folk, it’s also a festival that marks a coming-of-age of sorts. After all, there is always that one spring-summer in every Hydeabadi potta’s life when Holi goes from being just about rang to more about bhang! It’s around this time, that Holi celebrations move from just the confines of one’s home and neighbourhood, to the seedy back alleys and grimy gallis of Dhoolpet, a suburb notorious for gudumba and ganja. Dhoolpet may have been in the news recently for being ganja-free reportedly, but for any millennial who grew up in Hyderabad of the 90s and early 2000s, Dhoolpet was intrinsically linked to their first bhang experience around Holi, reveals Anand, a research scholar, whose hunt for bhang one Holi took him to the other side of Musi.“It was the summer of 2005 and Dhoolpet was, if anything, more notorious than what it is today. I was barely legal and very, very nervous at the prospect of getting caught or running into some kind of danger. But the excitement of heading there overpowered all that fear. Me and a bunch of boys landed in Dhoolpet with no clue about anything else other than the fact that this is where you will get whatever you want. Since we didn’t know where to go or whom to ask, we loitered around the grimy bylanes. Soon enough, a pan-chewing chicha ‘spotted’ us — that’s how it works sometimes; even if you don’t know where to go, I guess they know why you are there and approach you. We were shown what’s available, we paid and swiftly left the place, nervous but ‘enriched in experience’. Over the years I’ve gone back there dozens of times, but for a 90s kid like me, that first time will always be memorable,” recalls Anand.This story will sound familiar to anyone who’s been on a bhang hunt on Holi in Hyderabad . And almost all of them will have a ‘first time in Dhoolpet’ story to share as well. Recalling his not-so-memorable Dhoolpet debut, Purab*, a DJ, laughs, as he says: “I was 18. My friends and I decided to bunk the last hour in college and head to Dhoolpet to get some ‘fresh’ bhang in time for our Holi party. Two Banjara Hills boys on a poser bike, in poser clothes, stick out on Dhoolpet’s dull and dusty streets like nothing else does. We were obviously bhang virgins; knew nothing or no one there and I’m sure that showed on my face the most. Sadly for me, I attracted the attention of a cop first. ‘Kya karra bey idhar...’ he asked. ‘Friend se milne aaya...’ I lied. Obviously I wasn’t very convincing. What I got in response was one tight slap, and a ‘chal phoot idhar se...’ I did just that, very meekly.”The search for the ‘illicit stuff that becomes almost-legit’ around Holi, the bursh with all the people you meet during that hunt and all the places it takes you to, opens up a whole new world for a young boy. “In my case, I discovered a whole new Hyderabad itself one Holi, back in early 2000s. My buddies from the neighbourhood and me, all between ages 17 and 19, went to a common friend’s terrace party somewhere in Abids. That’s the first time I witnessed bhang thandai being served at a party. It was from this guy we heard that you can actually buy bhang on Holi day. Without wasting another minute, six of us hopped on to three scooters and dashed off to Begum Bazaar, armed with the cell number of one bhai who was supposed to arrange some for us. When we reached there though, his bhang was over. He sent us to some other bhai somewhere in Chattabazar. There, in a tiny galli, it was revelry of another kind with dhol, drums of coloured water and the whole basti dancing on the streets. Upon locating the bhai, he took us in, gave us some thandai to taste and handed us two dabbas of peda laced with the stuff. We obviously had no idea how this stuff works, so we kept popping one peda after the other, wondering why nothing happened. But when it happened finally, boy! I thought my skull would burst open. I’ve not really tried too much bhang thereafter, but that Holi I discovered that there are so many layers to this wonderful city of ours,” says Mithun* , ad filmmker Arun*, who works with a city NGO, has a similar story to share. “It was during my graduation days at Osmania University that I first tasted bhang. Someone like me, from this part of the city, would not even have imagined that a whole different world exists on the other side of Musi. I feel it was rather a coming-of-age Holi for me that summer when a group of us from college went out in search for our first bhang. Despite managing to get a lead from some seniors, and speaking to the person in advance, it took us some 30 minutes to find the person. He then passed us on to another person, and this went on and on... Finally, when we reached a hut where the thing was being sold. I was surprised to find a middle-aged married aunty selling it! I even saw some girls picking up stuff from here. For all the shady reputation the place has attracted, I think the friendly people more than make up for it. We cracked jokes in Telangana dialect, and even they offered each of us a glass of bhang mixed with lassi. Holi has never been the same ever since.”For others though, the narrow alleyways, the stench of freshly brewed gudumba, the piercing stares of the many unfamiliar faces who look at you curiously — Dhoolpet is an experience and an assault on all senses for any first timer, says Akhil*, an IT professional. “Initially, we drove to the place like it was no big deal. But once we got off our vehicles, we met one ‘usher’ after the other, each leading us through narrow alleys that seemed to go nowhere. People would keep poking their heads out of doorways and looking at us — it was scary. I could hear my heart pounding. Finally we reached an area which I later learnt is notorious for illicit drug and liquor. It was an idol maker there who coolly handed us bhang, like it was the most normal thing to do. All that came to my mind was to scoot.”No matter what the experience, going on a bhang hunt changes the idea of Holi and Hyderabad forever. Everyone agrees.* Some names have been changed on request