The Sinking Ship

Yet another Bandra nightspot,Boat Club,shuts down for good

Photographer Roycin DSouza loved Monday Night Karaoke at Boat Club in Bandra. He has been a regular at the place for the last four years,and has been a huge propagator of the night on social networking sites. But when he arrived at the club to sing Eminems Superman with his regular entourage,he didnt anticipate that it would be the last time he sang there.

The staff at the door informed us that it was their last night, he said. When asked why,they said that they didnt know,though some suspected it would be renovated and reopened soon enough. The owner of the Pali Presidency and Boat Club,Mr Kumar Padva was unavailable for comment. But a member of staff who chose to remain anonymous stated that business had been slow since the cops started shutting them down half an hour before the 1.30 am deadline. This really put off our customer base,who started coming in less frequently over the last few months, he said. Now a new wine bar will be opening there soon, he adds.

Boat Club,always dark and dingy with blaring music from the 80s,pulled its shutters down for the last time at 1 am on November 29. Whats worse is that many who frequented the place since it opened on October 26,2003,didnt know about this because it happened without much fuss. Only those who happened to

visit the place on its last night of operations were informed of

its closing.

Nestled on the first level of Hotel Pali Presidency,Boat Club,with its unpretentious vibe,deck-like interiors and smelly loo,was a popular hangout in the last decade. One of the most popular places in Bandra,Boat,as regulars liked to call it,was once part of a diverse culture that came to be associated with Bandras burgeoning nightlife. Having hosted people from all over Mumbai models,office-goers and college students alike the club was defined by its boat-shaped booth,creaky wooden stairs and the blue light that bathed its interiors. Whats more is that despite facing competition from newer,posher places such as Pali Village Cafe and Da Vincis and older,haunts like Totos Garage Pub and Janta Bar and Restaurant,Boat Club managed to hold its own for eight whole years.

For many regulars who showed up to sing karaoke on the places last night,the news of its closing came as a bolt from the blue. The best thing about the place was that it had been the same since it opened, lamented hair-stylist,Rochelle Pereira.

But for others,who once frequented the place quite often,the fact that it hadnt changed at all,is what had led to its downfall.

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