The city doesn’t rock any more

The city doesn’t rock any more
The police and excise departments have virtually banned dancing in Bangalore, bringing its nightlife to a halt and casting a shadow on its cosmopolitan ambience. Prashanth G N and Ambarish B assess the situation
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


“Icould have danced all night,’’ Eliza Dolittle (Audrey Hepburn) croons in My Fair Lady (1964), touching a chord in people all over the world. There is an Eliza Dolittle in all of us, yearning for expression and release. But for that, Bangalore, once a liberal city of bars and dance floors, is not the right place to be. The police and excise department have snuffed the spontaneity, joy and sparkle out of the city. Livebands are dead, the dance floors are empty.
How have things come to this pass? In December 2005, the state home department, read moral police, swung into action. Deciding that livebands had criminal links, they went after them by insisting that they apply for fresh licences within six months, which in turn meant complying with stiff, if not unreasonable, conditions. Discotheques and cabarets cannot run without a special licence either. The city commissioner’s office became the issuing authority. Livebands fell by the wayside, whereas discotheques managed to pull along, some of them getting a pub licence.
The Liveband Association contends that the 2005 order was targeted at them and not at discos. “According to the government order, even discotheques need to obtain a licence. More than 25 discotheques have been running in the city without obtaining a licence. If the rich and the famous can dance at these joints, why can’t livebands exist in the city?’’ its president Sanjay said. The police does not deny targeting livebands in particular. Officials feel that discotheques, with their high entry fee, have a kind of elite ambience which keeps out criminal elements.
The police was not the only agency to go on overdrive. State excise rules dating back to 1967 ban dancing where liquor is served. The excise department is merely playing a stuffy, moral guardian — if dancing and drinking are socially acceptable practices all over the world, how is Karnataka any different? The city’s celebs, youth and hoteliers are distressed by the rise of the culture police. Government agencies are creating incentives for establishments to get around the law. Thanks to them, the most common way of spending an evening anywhere in the world — dancing with a drink in hand — has become socially unacceptable. That this shadow of conservatism should fall on Bangalore, a city with major cultural and trade exchanges with the rest of the world, is unfortunate. It cannot do the live-and-let-live image of Bangalore any good.
CELEBS
“I am a professional DJ and there are many like me who would be affected, right from the waiter to the person who supplies ice in the clubs. Dancing is just healthy entertainment. In any culture in the world, dancing is a yardstick by which you measure how forward-looking you are. Twenty years ago, people could dance freely in this city. But now, when the city is turning corporate, why are we going backwards?” Rohit Barker | DJ
“Dancing is a perfectly healthy thing to do. It is also a great stress-buster. Everybody danced in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Major hotels allowed dancing. What is the problem now? There is no rationale to the ban. Manoviraj Khosla | FASHION DESIGNER
HOTELS/BARS
Le Meridien “We believe there is nothing wrong in dancing. Why should such a rule should exist if the dance is decent and if dance bars keep to the timings of 11.30 pm? We are cosmopolitan now, work has become stressful and people need to de-stress. There is nothing wrong as long as discotheques follow norms of the government. There is lot of movement into Bangalore from foreign countries and if they want to hang out, Bangalore does not offer opportunities. It’s bad publicity for Bangalore.”
The Park - I-Bar “We have only a DJ playing now and a lounge bar. When we started in 2001, we had a dance floor for two to three years. We never had any problems and people would enjoy themselves, especially on the weekends. If people are adults and decent, what is wrong in dancing?”
Grand Ashok “We have a dance floor called Sutra. But we don’t use it now as rules don’t permit dancing. When 80% of the youth would love to dance, what is the problem? We are a free, grown-up society and everybody should be allowed to dance. The more you try to stop it, the more people will get involved in it. Dancing should be legalized.”
Taika “Dancing goes on everyday. Who said dance is banned? But we are following the rules of the government and close at the time we are expected to. We can only say informal dancing is going on. We are happy that youngsters like it. When a customer would like to relax by dancing, how can we say no? But it is not such a big affair as to attract attention.”
Fuga “We have a dance floor but dancing is not allowed. The youth ask us — who would like to have dance disallowed? But they are learning to live without the rule now.”
YOUNGSTERS
Amit N, a music professional, observes: “I’ve been to parties over the years. There has never been any ugly scene or misbehaviour. People who come to dance are decent, mature and sensitive. I think they know how to handle themselves. Not being able to dance in a city like Bangalore is a farce.”
Anthony J, drummer from Cantonment says: “We have been in the music scene for a long time. I haven’t come across anyone not liking to dance. What better than a weekend when you can chill out and dance? It is not only a great stress-buster, but a highly aesthetic activity.”