Karan Jaiswal, 28, can’t forget his first escapade with ‘bhang’, a popular concoction made with the buds and leaves of the cannabis plant, during Holi. For almost six hours, he felt he was flying free in the air.

Widows play with colored powder at the Pagal Baba Ashram in Vrindavan on Saturday, March 15, 2014. AP

“I get nervous at the thought of it now,” Jaiswal, who was 23 back then, told IANS.

Pakoras, thandai, laddoos, kulfi and many more consumables laced with bhang are a hit during the festival of colours. Youngsters in urban cities lap them up at fancy parties, where music, alcohol, scrumptious food and dance dominate the festivity.