The recent ‘Chillar’ party bust at Koregaon Park has yet again revealed the attraction of the city teenagers to various forms of addiction and parties. So much so that teens these days prefer staying in a hostel instead of their homes in order to ‘enjoy’ life to the fullest.

City counsellors pointed out various cases, revealing the psyche of these youths. "There is a rising trend among girls to have different boyfriends. I’ve been observing this underlying change from 2007. These girls belong to the upper middle class strata of society and their parents are educated," said counsellor advocate Supriya Kothari.

She added, "Girls these days are more attracted towards having fancy cellphones, wearing short clothes and attending various parties. There was this case in 2010 where a girl’s father, who was a retired government officer, helped his daughter to secure a job in a call centre. However, the girl instead of supporting the family with her Rs10,000 per month salary started spending the amount on her make–up and clothing."

Kothari added, "Because of this, the girl’s mother suffered paralysis while her brother left the house," said Kothari. Kothari cited another example of a girl, a standard IX student studying in a reputed Marathi–medium all girls school. "She is a chain smoker and if denied a cigarette, she would cut her wrist or start throwing around things in the house. Her parents now are seeking medical help for her," she said.

Shubhangi Khasnis, director of Disha Counselling Centre said, "There is a trend among children to have affairs. These children find it absolutely fine to have a girlfriend or boyfriend to accompany them for an event or tuition classes."

Dr Seema Darode, another counsellor said, "I handled a case where the boy started smoking cigarettes and taking drugs only to be in the company of his college friends. Tremendous peer pressure leads children to various addiction."

Kothari feels that parents in the name of modernisation give too much of freedom to their children. "Children take undue advantage of their freedom. Many parents feel that if they put restrictions, the children may think that they are orthodox," she said.

Darode said, "Parents are not unanimous in taking decisions. If the mother impedes the child, it is the father who gives permission under the pretext of being modern and liberal in his views."