The High Society

Industrialists,film stars,politicians,fashionistas and other assorted celebrities are invariably the target of tawdry gossip and rumour mongering given that everyone seems to love reading about them. There is also an undeniable vicarious thrill to be had by the hoi polloi and haute society alike when the high and mighty are unceremoniously toppled from their perches.

Sensational stories of drunken brawls,cheating spouses,one-night stands,family squabbles,botched nose jobs,acrimonious divorces,etc are all fair game now and very much part of our daily news.

However,one aspect of the debauched doings of the upper echelon that doesn’t really get reported is the increasing amount of substance abuse that seems to be de rigueur at most society bashes across our major metros.

At fashion shows and stage events where the air is fraught with tension and high nerves,several models,designers and performers find Dutch courage after “powdering their noses”.

The loos of upscale hotels and restaurants are often monopolized by poor little rich kids who snort substances through a rolled up thousand rupee notes and then hand it as tips to the fawning lavatory attendant,who vigilantly stood guard outside.

Bollywood brats and their wives now seem to increasingly hang out with their favourite uncle Charlie since old Johnnie Walker,though intoxicating company,unfortunately provides empty calories.

Nowadays,across farmhouses and mansions,the hostess with the mostest is the woman who serves up fine lines along with fine wines on a Swarovski salver.

Nightclubs and discos pulsate with heaving bodies that have been chemically cajoled to greater heights of ecstasy.

One would imagine the harsh jail sentences and the social taboo associated with substance abuse would result in the glitterati being a lot more circumspect when indulging in these shenanigans.

However,they all rely solely upon the Omerta or tacit code of silence regarding drug use to keep this information from leaking to the outside world.

It will take only one tweet or leaked MMS clip from an insider or a rival to blow the lid off this Pandora’s snuff box. Many a celebrity in the West has been outed this way and then had to go through the motions of public repentance and private rehab.

Perhaps now,more than ever,it’s time for our desi dope heads to clean up their act and be afraid,very afraid.

Fahad Samar is a filmmaker,inveterate traveller and intrepid chronicler of society

samarofdiscontent@gmail.com