Hyderabad :
It’s that time of the year again when the city, breaking away from its mundane routines, is set to immerse itself in exalted jubilation, complete with drums, deities, devouts and dandiya. And as the festive bells start ringing, the spotlight, like always, is found flashing brightly on the narrow bylanes of Dhoolpet from where the celebratory season is usually flagged off.
Home to a sizable population of the Lodha, Bundeli Rajput and Gangaputra communities, it is in Dhoolpet, a short distance away from Afzalgunj in the Old City, that idols of all gods and goddesses – prayed to during the one-month-long festivities – are conceptualized, Syed Omar designed and created.
The rows of Durga murtis in particular are the hardest to miss. “There are lakhs of idols (Ganesha, Durga and Sherawali) that are made in Dhoolpet.These are usually carved out of Plaster of Paris. And unlike those that are made in Kolkata, their structures are built on iron frames,” said Manik Mukherjee, president of the adhoc committee of the Hyderabad Bengali Welfare Association that organizes an annual Durga Utsav in the Old City. “These days, the artisans of Dhoolpet also bring craftsmen from outside and employ them during the festive season,” he added.
The towering half-finished deities apart, what’s also conspicuous in the area is the pres ence of several vendors waiting impatiently to lure `clients’ with their neatly packaged pouches of ganja. Over the years, this pocket of the city has become synonymous with the sale of the contraband. And this, despite the presence of a police outpost right in the middle of Jummerat Bazaar, a stone’s throw away from here. In fact, Dhoolpet is itself home to the Mangalhat law and order police station and the prohibition and excise station.
Notwithstanding such barriers, this flourishing `trade’ goes on uninterrupted, beginning as early as 10 am every day . History has it that residents of this area had ancestors who migrated from north and central India in the 17th century to work for the Nizams. They took up the sale of the contraband post Independence as a means to eke out a livelihood. Some have accumulated a lot of wealth since.
On any given day, as one takes a leisurely stroll through Dhoolpet, one is sure to notice men with `stoned’ eyes perched on the chabutras and anxious to sell a `tola’ of ‘best quality’ ganja for Rs 200 to any eager buyer.Try to bargain and the peddler, sporting an unkempt look, wastes no time to retort: “Pachas ka pudi bhi hai lekin dubara idhar nahi aaoge. Doso ka lelo, phir se khojte hue aaoge.” (I have packets worth Rs 50 also, but after that you will not come here again. Take a Rs 200-packet and you’ll come looking for me again).
As night falls, business picks up further. Even post-midnight, it is not uncommon to see young men and women in sedans and SUVs driving in to ‘score’. “As regulars, we know just when to go there and look for what kind of people. Even the `sellers’, with years of experience, easily identify prospective customers.If they realize you aren’t an `interested party’ or are generally loafing around, they won’t entertain you,” said a young professional on condition of anonymity. He confessed that the `dope’ available in Dhoolpet is usually of the finest quality .
Turns out, that the ganja making its way to the city comes from districts such as Warangal, Nizamabad and Visakhapatnam. The local dealers buy this in bulk for Rs 3,000 a kilo and make 10 times profit when they sell it on the street.
In addition to ganja, Dhool pet is also notorious for the sale of arrack. There are about 200 families that are involved in the production, transportation and sale of illicit liquor.
Police authorities, while ad mitting to Dhoolpet being a den of illegal activities, claim tha such `businesses’ are on the de cline in the area. “Bootlegging and drug peddling are coming down due to stringent enforce ment activities. In the past one month, we have booked five of fenders under the PD (Preven tion of Dangerous Activities Act and the process has been initiated to book repeat offend ers. We are also conducting a lo of awareness campaigns in the locality to explain to people why they need to opt for alternative livelihoods,” said Ujwala Reddy assistant prohibition & excise superintendent, Dhoolpet.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderbad / by Mahesh Buddi & Sudipta Sengupta, TNN / October 09th, 2015