Trendspotting: Chandigarh night clubs warm up to women bouncers

That’s where Amita Kadam saw an opportunity, and started a firm with all-woman bouncers in Pune called “Swamini Lady Bouncers” ( SLB). It trains wannabe bouncers in self-defence and grooming. Kadam, who was once a beautician, says she started it two years ago with five recruits and now has on its rolls 50 women bouncers who work in pubs and events across Pune.

“If you look at the city’s demographics, the number of women social drinkers is increasing. So having female bouncers is a comforting factor for the patrons. Their role is much more than that of bouncers. They assist women in the cloak room, escort guests to cars or sometimes be a kind of friend in a situation where it would be inappropriate for male bouncers to intervene,” says Vani, a software engineer, who enjoys visiting pubs on the weekends.

Sharda, a bouncer who works at a club in Sector 26, says the profession involves a lot of risks. “We have to protect ourselves as well as others. Being a bouncer doesn’t mean you have to thrash people whenever something is wrong or when a woman consumes too much alcohol. We need to understand the situation and act accordingly.”

Sharda says she and her colleagues are grateful to women frequenting bars and clubs. “For us, they are like the Goddess Laxmi. Were they not to visit these clubs, why would business owners employ us? We earn because of them so we ensure that they are safe whenever they come here.”

Sharda wants more and more women to venture into this profession. “Since childhood, you are conditioned to believe that you are in a man’s world that makes surviving in male-dominated industries difficult. Be it your ideas or physical strength, everything is questioned till you prove yourself and put those doubts to rest.”