That party fever

Teenagers are addicted to partying for enjoying the company of friends and the freedom to booze, writes Chesta Wadhwani.

Eighteen-year-old Arshiya Kachwala, a fashion-marketing student, is a regular at nightclubs. She slips into one of her skimpy party dresses every second night to dance the night away.

"Partying gives me a crazy high. I don't see any harm in clubbing," she says. "My deadline is 1 am. I get lucky if my parents are sleeping and I can sneak in."

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She's one of the many students, who, despite expensive cover charges and warnings from conservative parents, hit the dance floor addictively .

The reasons cited for addiction are the rocking ambience, the company of friends and the freedom to booze and let their hair down.

For some, the reason to party is also to meet like-minded people.

Peer pressure
Sandesh Zamdvad, a second year engineering student, claims to have struck up several friendships at clubs. On the pretext of spending the night at a friend's place to finish projects, he goes partying.

Ask him if he feels guilty about lying to his parents, and he snaps back, "I do, but I've learnt to live with it."

Parents cannot come to terms with the fact that their children disco every night. "I'll place my daughter under house arrest if I find her at nightclubs. These places are full of hooligans," says Meenakshi Ganeshan, mother of a 21year-old environmental engineering student. She will allow her daughter to party only if she feels she's mature enough.

Partying also has a lot to do with peer pressure. The temptation to be seen at the most ‘in' places is a strong temptation.

Media hype
Some parents blame this on the media. Dipti Shah, the mother of two teenaged girls, explains, "The media has over-hyped the idea of night-outs. This has led to teenagers heading to party hot spots almost every night."

Abishek Kapur, a final year student sums up, "It's my life. Partying every night is my kind of entertainment. What's the harm?"