Tuhina Chari (43) still recalls the time she and her neighbours used to go around in groups celebrating the festival of colours till incidents of eve-teasing forced the tradition to remain etched in memories only.

Tuhina said: “Since 1993, around 30 women from Dr Shambhu Sharan Lane in Mithapur would go around the locality singing and playing the dholak for two to three hours. There used to be several sub-groups made up of bhabhis, housewives and others. The mothers-in-law, too, used to join us in singing and playing the dholak. In 1997, this tradition was stopped after an incident of eve-teasing.”

Not only Tuhina, but several other women also had similar things to say. Hemlata Sharan, a homemaker at Rampur Road, follows the tradition but is apprehensive of venturing out too far from her area. She said: “A few other women and I from our locality move from one place to another to celebrate the festival but we do not risk going too far.”

Apartment dwellers, too, have restricted their movement to within the building or compound fearing molestation. Seema Singh, a homemaker staying in a Bailey Road apartment, said: “We do not go outside the compound because we feel unsafe of other revellers trying to take advantage of the festival.”

For few others like Simmi Shailendra, the first lady of Rotary Patna Mid Town, the tradition is still alive, albeit with caution. Simmi said: “We have been moving around in groups on Holi for the past eight years. I stay in Boring Canal Road and I drive down to meet up with the other members. Our husbands, too, accompany us. The celebration starts around 10am. The festivities come to an end around 4 in the afternoon.”

Dinesh Kumar, an associate professor of psychology at College of Commerce, said: “In the present system, social and democratic values of people are on the wane. Hedonistic, power and economic values are witnessing a surge. The result is a deterioration of personality development owing to self-centredness. Eve-teasing is a fallout of this kind of behaviour.”