Bangalore deserves night life

Bangalore deserves night life
QUESTION TIME IS THE CITY’S NIGHTCLUB DEADLINE JUSTIFIED?
The Times of India

Bangalore: The proverbial Gen-X as we know, likes to study hard and garner good marks. But what they like to do even harder is party. With a 11.30 pm deadline, students suggest various options to have fun.
“The main reason the city shuts down at night is because of security concerns. But, I think closing down nightclubs and pubs early, does more harm than good. For, most people, go to a club after working hours, say 9 pm. So you have less than two hours to finish your drinks. In the end, you’re left gulping down your drinks and that gets you drunk faster. However, if these places were to close later, people would be able to relax and take it slow. That way, even if you’ve had a wee bit much, you have time to sober down before you leave,” says Tom Sebastian, third-year, electronics and communication engineering student.
Namrata Arora, final year information sciences student agrees. “If Bangalore wants to market itself as a cosmopolitan city, then it should relax the night hours.”
According to them, the early closing is also affecting tourism. “Foreign tourists are used to party till the early morning hours. But, if they find that they have to stop even before they get started, they’ll never come back to the city,” says Jhanavi Sampath, a finalyear medical electronics student.
Final year mechanical engineering student, Diresh Mohan, is quick to chip in. “It’s also a question of impinging on the fundamental right to freedom. Who is the government to say till what time we can party?” he asks.
“Moreover, partying is more of a social activity rather than anything else. People go to clubs and pubs to meet friends and make new ones. Besides, it takes a while before you can muster enough courage to talk to a girl. But, before you can go over and say hello, you’re kicked out of the place,” says third-year architecture student Rohan Shetty.
Namrata feels agitated that Bangalore is completely shut after 10 pm. “There are hardly any people on the streets. And no public transportation to speak of !”
“Just imagine a place like Coimbatore has buses running till 2 am and our buses stop running after 10 pm. Why is that?” asks Diresh, the sergeant at arms in the Toastmasters Club in Bangalore and also the college representative in debates.
“We think that Bangalore deserves a night life. But if you’re going to impose so many restrictions, do you think that people would not find a way to party elsewhere?” asks Ranjani Ramesh, final year industrial engineering and management student. “If you’re a die hard party animal, the party continues at friends’ places, or long drives to the outskirts of the city among other things,” she adds.
Summing it all up, Tom says, “I think one of the main problems is the generation gap. The people who frame laws are of the older generation and the people who party are youngsters like us.” Jhanavi adds, “If they’re worried that the night life will corrupt us of our culture, then they have no cause to worry. For, I like to go out with my friends too. But I do get up early and perform my morning religious rituals.”
Ranjani suggests a solution: They should relax the timings till 1.30 am perhaps. And then five years down the line let the clubs stay open till 5 am. If the situation demands it then, let them stay open 24/7.