From ‘thandai’ to ‘tikkis’ made with bhaang, various delicacies were available at roadside stalls in the city, and attracted passers-by with colourful banners and balloons. Parsanna Singh, a Nihang Singh near Cheema Chowk, was busy making thandai for a group of migrants.

Sulesh Kumar, a rehri vendor, was busy frying tikkis with bhaang. “Today, people love to eat these tikkis, and we get a good number of customers,” he said. A group of youngsters was planning to enjoy the delicacies made with bhaang. “We are not addicted to anything, but one should try it once,” laughed a youngster.

Many persons who hail from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were also seen eating bhaang pakoras. But some other city residents stayed away from these preparations. Said Rajan Sharma, a serviceman who resides in Dugri Phase II, “Last year, someone in our office gave us pakoras on Shivratri, and after a few minutes all of us were intoxicated. For more than ten hours, I suffered hallucinations. So this year, I am extra careful that I don’t take anything from outside,” he smiled.

Jeenam and Rupinder, who are college students, added that the thandai served to them on Shivratri day in 2005 led to an unforgettable experience. “One of our friends asked us to share bhaang tikkis with thandai. They were tasty, so we had our fill. Afterwards, we became very restless and suffered from acute vomiting. I kept crying for hours and then slept for some time. After waking up, I tried to eat my lunch, but was unable to control my senses and again felt restless. Since then, we have decided not to have any eatables on such occasions,” they chorused.

City-based doctors say that every year on Holi and Shivratri, they receive many patients in their clinics, who suffer the after-effects of consuming bhaang preparations. Said Dr R S Thind, a dental surgeon, “After consuming bhaang in a large quantity, many men indulge in fights or fall down, which led to tooth injuries.”