Celebs recall their memorable bhang moments

Holi is almost here. What comes with it is the excuse to savour bhang, a powerful intoxicant that helps escalate the spirit of the festival. Though the tradition is rampant in north India, Kolkata too is no alien to the custom of savouring bhang — a cannabis drink — on special occasions. A handful of celebs fills us in on bhang stories that they feel will go down in history.Over to them:
‘I am the best bhang maker’
Around 12-13 years back, my friends had planned a get-together. Thanks to them, I got to taste bhang even before reaching another friend’s house, where lunch was being organised. Once I reached there, I was super-hungry and polished off a dozen
rosogollas. There was khichuri-ilish maachh bhaja and I had a plateful of that too. After that, I sat to make bhang. Not many knew that I was already high on bhang and that I wanted to make some was an effect of the drink on my system. Just imagine what could have happened to those who ended up having that bhang. But my friends say I am the best bhang maker in the world.
Tnusree Chakraborty, actress
‘The road became steep’

I was in university first year when I first had bhang near Jorasanko Thakur Bari with a friend. My first feeling after having it was that the road was steep and I was climbing it. Pedestrians pointed out that I was actually walking back! When I reached university for a Holi programme, I was quite high. I remember I had to sing a difficult song — Basanti Hey Bhubano Mohini — and didn’t know how to go about it. I was so unwell that a highly-placed official from the university came to check on me. What’s more, I was far from courteous.
Iman Chakraborty, singer
‘There was a never-ending road’

I remember heading to Park Circus with my friends on the day before Holi to buy malai bhang. I was out with my core squad. We picked up quite a few litres of bhang before going to college. Though it was meant for the whole class, we finished two bottles on the way, just out of curiosity. I was hit so hard by it that the road to college felt like a never-ending stretch. And once we reached college, the other
classmates were so furious that they hit us with colour balloons. I was in no position to even run for cover.
Amartya Ray, actor
‘People were dancing in the sun’

In Bangladesh, there’s no tradition of having bhang on Holi and I first tasted the drink in Kolkata, some three-four years back. My bhang memory is not of having it, but making it. I remember heading to a friend’s terrace for a Holi party where the ingredients were kept in one place. So, when someone asked me to help out in making the drink, I poured kilos and kilos of sandesh and mishti to make it tasty. Those who had it that year, were dancing in the sun for hours on end.
Jaya Ahsan, actress
‘I thought I was a water bottle’

Before marriage, I had gone to Beadon Street with Sourav (Chakraborty, husband) and a common friend of ours. They were full of bhang stories and I had none. To make me taste bhang, they got it made from a local shop and we had it in the car. They had asked me to have very less and exercise caution as bhang hits you much later. When I had it, I felt nothing. So I had more. Later, when I reached home, I felt I was a
bottle full of water. Every time I was moving around, I felt water would spill out. That was really scary.
Madhumita Chakraborty, TV actress
‘I slept on the pavement’

My most memorable bhang story is not about me. In our para, there was a very respectable couple who we used to address as dada-boudi. On a certain Holi, when their children were not home, they tried having bhang. Once they had it, they were hit by a sense of imminent doom. They shed all inhibitions and called out for help. We paid them a prompt visit but kept laughing about it for days on end. Another time, when I was in college, we went to Patuli to have bhang. I was so intoxicated that I slept on a pavement for a while before being taken home by my friends.
Sidhu, singer-songwriter
‘I stood still for hours’

I have vivid memories of having bhang on one occasion, years back. I needed to fetch something from home after having bhang and was running towards my place. But much later, someone from my para came up to me and asked, ‘Why have you been standing underneath a lamp post for hours?’ Though I thought I was running, I was actually static and that too, for really long. I remember laughing even two days after having bhang. I didn’t know why and that made me laugh even more. Since then, I’ve stayed away from bhang.
Raj Chakrabarty, director