But Pappu Cant Dance Saala

IT’S a Friday night. It’s been a long, stress-filled week. You head to your fave nightclub that plays your kinda music. You’re seated comfortably, have ordered a drink and are slowly getting into the groove, when the DJ announces — "There’s a ban on dancing, ladies and gentlemen. We could get into trouble if we flout the rules. So please be seated at your tables. The dance floor is closed tonight". This is the scene for party animals, pub owners, BPO crowd, IT fraternity, students, and tourists in Namma Bangalooru. All we want is a nightlife- a nightlife that actually lives up at night, not one that goes to sleep well before the Cinderella hour. All those who venture out with the owls, not just for a drink, but also for a late dinner, some music and some dance agree the 11.30 pm closure deadline is unreasonable, considering the city’s cosmopolitan character. Metros like Pune are open till 12.30 am, though the moral brigade often talks of shutting down joints much earlier. Mumbai’s 1.30 am deadline leaves the city’s party crowd of Celebs and jet setters fretting and fuming. Delhi, reputed to have the best nightlife in the country, has places open till 2 am. Kolkata’s laws prohibit serving liquor after 10.30 pm but that doesn’t stop several bars and restaurants from being open till even 2 am. “We are still one country, so how come the discrimination?” Where's the party tonight? Certainly, not on the dance floors of Bangalore’s discotheques and hotels, thanks to the administration which has cracked the whip on them. Overworked and entertainment-starved Bangaloreans are vociferous in their criticism against the government for infringing upon their right to shake a leg if they chose to. Dancing in discotheques cannot be equated to something abominable; on the contrary, it’s spirited amusement for the young at heart. A city with a bustling nightlife could mean acceptable social practices like shopping, eating, drinking and dancing. The rationale behind the curbs on dancing at discotheques is beyond comprehension. The fundamental rights are defined as basic human freedoms that every Indian citizen has the right to enjoy for a proper and harmonious development of personality. But every time a new government comes to power, it imposes rules that only take us back in time rather than help us move forward. One could argue that smoking and drinking are injurious to health and the only way to stop youth from getting addicted to them is by passing legislations. Agreed. Then, what justifies the ban on dancing ? And these rules are coupled with more laws being proposed by various lobbies in view of their own ideological slant or self-interest. It’s human tendency to rebel when bound by unexplained restrictions. The reason offered out for such rule is to control crime rate and safeguard the citizens from the mishaps at belated hours. Many big cities of the world allow an active nightlife but are by no means unsafe. The authorities ought to realize that Bangalore has a sizeable section of youth, business travelers, tourists and even local citizens who work late into the evening and need some time for relaxation and recreation. Dancing, for that matter, is healthy entertainment and viewed as a stress buster. Such indifference to nightlife would only frustrate citizens who want to have a good night out — be it for shopping, dining or drinking.

Bangalore’s the only city in the country (and probably the world, barring a Taliban-ruled regime) to have dancing banned in nightclubs. Whatever be the ambiguity about the Government Order, the rationale behind the curbs on dancing at discotheques is beyond comprehension. It’s high time the police and the excise department extends the closing time for shopping malls, restaurants and bars/pubs and allow Bangaloreans to shake a leg. Regardless of being vocal about the issue and protests still, pappu can’t dance saala.