Legal vacuum of ‘dance bars’: From guns to roses, every deal is on the table here
Times of India | 3 August 2024
12 Kolkata: From guns and roses, everything is on the table in the city's ‘dance bars’ that are a law unto themselves. Faces that welcome you inside with a smile can turn menacing within seconds if you don’t hand over wads of currency notes at regular intervals. Revelry — and decibel — here peak after midnight and liquor is served beyond the cut-off time.
Welcome to the murky world of Kolkata’s ‘dance bars’ where regulations are tweaked, connections are forged and patronage is purchased to circumvent law and conduct business in a brazen manner even if it causes law and order problems much to the harassment and fear of the locals.
The vandalism inside and outside a Tagore Park singing bar off EM Bypass has turned the spotlight on such party places that have mushroomed in several pockets of Kolkata and operate violating every rule in the book.
TOI visited two famous singing bars in the area that do everything but promote local singing talent and spent a couple of hours observing an aspect of the city’s nightlife.
At 10.30pm on weekdays when most family bars and restaurants are preparing to take their last orders, revelry hasn’t even begun in these singing bars. All the lights inside the large hall with a raised platform and a small bar are switched on. A man in his early 50s is on the mike, belting BIG B hits.
“What is the rush, sir? Please have a seat. We are open till 3am and our guests don’t arrive before 11pm,” said a young man performing duties as a manager. “The ‘girls’ won’t be here before 11 pm,” he whispered in the ear.
The govt banned smoking in public places almost a decade ago but here, every table has an ashtray. “Smoke without any stress. Nobody is going to say anything,” the manager said when one of the customers hesitated in pulling out the cigarette packet.
In a neigbouring bar, revelry gained momentum with several women dancing on the dais. “According to the law, women cannot dance or move any body part. The licence is only for crooning but these bar owners do everything except promoting singing talent,” said a former bandmaster who operated several floors in a Chandni Chowk bar.
Meanwhile, at the first bar, the manager gave five minutes to the two guests to settle down. “You are our first customer. Bowny karwa dijiye. Also, if you want anything else, do tell us,” said the manager. The smile on his face disappeared immediately when the guests tell him to wait.
By this time, other guests started coming in. Several bikes and SUVs parked outside, blocking the entire service road.
“After 10pm, this becomes a private road. Why do the local residents even need to step out so late? We use it for parking the vehicles of our customers,” said a strapping young bouncer.
At the second bar, the camaraderie between a section of guests and the “singers’ suggested they were regulars. As soon as one guest pulled out a wad of Rs 50 notes from his pocket and gestured towards a girl, she rushed to his seat. They start chatting and he kept pulling out one note at a time and handed them over to her.
“The licence clearly mentions that there has to be a distance between the singers and the guests,’ said a former owner of a dance bar.
The haze of smoke in the room was now so thick and the sound of the orchestra so deafening that it was impossible to even sit but the party in the city’s dance bars had just begun.