On the Loose: Pit Stop

Delhi’s nightlife has taken off. If only it included more women.

Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma was forced to clarify his remark that girls socialising at night is against Indian culture. His defense was, “My daughter is a doctor. She also goes for movies at night,” he told CNN IBN. Restaurateurs, meanwhile, can heave a sigh of relief that Sharma is not heading the Ministry of Tourism that oversees the hospitality industry in India.

Culture, as Sharma sees it, is vastly different from how millions of young men and women flocking to restaurants and bars, see it. Besides the global food chains, an exciting new breed of dining options have sprung up. They’re smaller and less pretentious, attracting a mixed and more inclusive crowd. After hours, there’s live music playing somewhere, every night, in Hauz Khas Village. Even Chris Martin of Coldplay has held an impromptu jam here. There’s healthy competition in cuisine with at least five different bakeries churning out a perfect French macaroon in south Delhi itself. Cyber Hub, a long stretch of eateries in Gurgaon’s business district, attracts over 50,000 people on weekends. The night scene is finally vibrant and thriving, a far cry from the Delhi of old when exorbitant 5-star pricing ensured going out was only for the rich. Now, with hundreds of intimate, lively and affordable venues available, the ‘culture’ has changed profoundly, and forever.

What every bar and nightclub have in common, however, is a requirement for many, many, more women patrons. I went to the India International Centre bar recently. There were 35 men and 3 women at 8 pm. Though women are visible more than ever before, this is a perennial problem for every bar owner in Delhi. ‘Ladies night’ has been a byword since the city’s most famous discotheque Ghungroo allowed women free on Fridays in the 1980’s. There’s nothing more pathetic than a bar full only of men and nobody would agree more, than the men. If rejected by women, any nightspot is doomed to failure. It quickly gets slotted as a seedy joint, best steered clear of. “Whenever girls are with guys, fights don’t happen,” observes Navneet Kalra, Partner, Town Hall, a popular bar and restaurant in Khan Market. The don’t permit stag entries on weekends.

At the opening of Ek Bar in Defense Colony, the latest in the quirky and cool gastropub space, two tables are occupied only by women. Painted in earthy tones with windows of stained glass, it has the shabby-chic appeal of old world charm. There’s a gramophone as a prop, vintage images of elephants and rustic sounding music. The cocktails, Ekka, Badshah, Begum and Ghulam are made with ingredients like murabba and served in steel. The young chef, Sujan Sarkar, is dressed the part in a chequered bow tie with matching pants. The innovative, small entrepreneurs are among the bravest of the working classes in India. They find the courage to follow their passion into risky areas like hospitality, despite the odds. Red tape and bureaucracy, licensing and excise laws, the process is fraught with complications. It takes just one bar brawl to finish everything. On a positive note, AD Singh, Founder, Olive Bar and Kitchen and a promoter in Ek Bar, says he sees many more women out, without men. “Girls nights out are becoming big and we have to have a safe, non judgmental environment for them,”emphasizes Singh. “Letting men in single is a short term strategy considering how important perception is. It’s better to say no to business,” he adds. The Free dictionary defines ‘culture’ as the set of predominating attitudes that characterise a group. Delhi is a city in constant flux, but most importantly, that group is changing.

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