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On lazy Sundays, when the sun is high and most parents have settled in for a snooze, the young and the restless wake up to set foot on the dance floor. So it8217;s only apt that I choose to take my place behind the console on a Sunday afternoon.

It8217;s well past three as I elbow my way in at one of Chandigarh8217;s oldest surviving given the curfew hours at night discotheques8212;Aerizzona in Sector 9. The bouncer has been spoken to; so I jump the queue of spaghetti-strapped girl gangs and lurking-in-the-corner Stags. The close circuit camera in owner Surinder Singh8217;s room relays my arrival. 8220;You are on time. The party is warming up,8221; smiles Singh as he ushers me in. It8217;s dark, loud and cold inside. The last time I remember setting foot inside a 8216;disc8217; was, well, let me think, before marriage. Or was it before the baby?

This has to be a chance to catch up on lost time. I ask Singh, a turbaned man in his 50s, to take me straight into the thick of things. I can picture myself8212;head cocked to one side, spinning a turntable, the psychedelic lights bouncing off and Robbie Williams shouting Rock DJ. Yes, I have it all planned out. That is till resident DJ Rohit unlocks the grilled door and lets me into his den.

It is darker and louder in here. So dark that I step on toes, mine, Rohit8217;s, the photographer8217;s and another man in a corner. With an Akon number playing on and another cued in, I get a minute to take in the surroundings. With a console up-front, a laptop plugged alongside and the other two walls holding stacks of CDs, there is no place to sit. 8220;A DJ needs to think on his feet. Survey the crowd,8221; Rohit, swinging from side to side, shouts in my ear.

Couples in a corner, a robust gang of girls in the middle, some stags holding on to their drinks8230;8221;Let8217;s get them to dance,8221; I tell the DJ who steps aside and hands me the headphone. 8220;Ok, what do you want to play?8221; Rohit shouts as I hurriedly flip through open CD cases, folders, the MP3s and the well-stocked library on the walls.

Actually, Simon and Garfunkel because I love them and the Police because who doesn8217;t love them but I have a feeling this crowd won8217;t like a retro night. I look at the youngsters and inspiration strikes. 8220;Bollywood, yes Bollywood will work. How about something from Race,8221; I tell Rohit who turns to wall, picks a CD and shows me where to slip it in. 8220;Move this knob slowly and the song will fade away,8221; the professional steers the amateur. I do as directed and even manage a jig in between. Kiss me, kiss me plays and the girl gang is elated. The stags are still not budging. As the timer on the console signals the end of the song, Rohit looks to me. 8220;Give me Punjabi8230;that number from Partner..Uncha lamba kad,8221; I instruct. The DJ obliges. I press play and the Stags finally hit the floor. Hurrah.

We move on to Mindblowing mahiya which gets another girl gang on the floor. The giggly teenagers shed their full-sleeved shirts and expose halters and sequined tube tops that glint back in the darkness. I turn to the CDs once again. Flipping through the stacks labelled Hip Hop, Mast Bollywoood, Trance Nights, Punjabi Tadka8230;. I pick That8217;s the party and cue it with Gasolina. By now, we have a packed house. And I have been noticed.

A portly man near the grilled door has been staring forever and two girls of the spaghetti strap gang nudge each other curiously. 8220;Why don8217;t you address the crowd?8221; suggests the photographer. Well, I suppose I could announce my arrival. The DJ thinks it8217;s a cool idea too and holds the mike in my direction. 8220;Having fun, ladies?8221; I say. I think their hips say yes.

Which brings me to a number one can never go wrong with. 8220;Let8217;s get Shakira and her Hips don8217;t lie,8221; I help Rohit rummage through the collection. I get my last try at the console. Slipping in the CD holding on to the only knob I recognise, we ease in Shakira. The crowd reciprocates with its own take. And as Shakira does what she8217;s best at, it8217;s time for me to leave. I shout back a 8220;thank you8221; to the DJ who is happy to regain his spot as I am with mine. copy;

Jagmeeta Thind Joy is a Senior Reporter with Indian Express, Chandigarh