So it’s been 2 weeks I have come to Singapore, and I have had my share of experiences of moving into a new city/ country. Lots happened over the past two weeks, and it’s the ongoing process of observing and learning the culture from people around. However, the outstanding experience was lastnight..
I have been missing family, friends and home for sure, but there is also a constant effort to socialize and make new friend here. I just happened to recollect that an old friend had moved to Singapore a year back, and tracked his phone number. When I called him, I was excited, speaking and swearing in Hindi and laughing our guts out on stupid jokes. I was pleasantly surprised to know that he is managing a night club in one of the most happening clubbing location of Singapore – Boat quay. I just got the address from him, and decided to drop in that evening, expecting to meet a few new people and build my social circle.
Thrilled and excited about having my first social event on a Friday night at a night club I left home. So I get to the place, and double check on Google maps, if I am at the right place, as it didn't look as happening as I expected. This place was not on boat quay, but off boat quay on a by lane. The name of the place was Jhumka! Just when I was trying to recheck the address on the phone, my friend stepped out for a smoke. I met him, hugged like meeting my lost brother after many years and stood there outside having small talks. Apparently the club is a Bollywood night club. It was not what I was expecting, but I got excited, as I would get to hear some Hindi music. Ideally while in India I would had hated to go to a club playing Bollywood music, but here I was super excited ready to hear some loud meaningless Hindi songs. That’s what a foreign country does to you, makes you love your country more!
We walk in and I get a shock of my life.. this place is no night club.. It’s what Indians call a “Dance Bar”.. The dance bar, that I always fancied going to when I was in Mumbai. The dance bar I had heard about a million times from my friends, but could never get an opportunity to go. The dance bar which used to be the life line of Mumbai night life! So, here I am more than 3000 kms away from Mumbai, but feeling very much in Mumbai.
The place was dimly lit with cheap rotating disco lights. It had a bar counter with the DJ (actually more of a wannabe DJ) and the bar tender. Then there was the dance floor with around four-five girls dancing on a bright lit dance floor exactly the same way we had seen Tabbu in Chandni Bar. They were wearing heavily studded ghagra cholis with a piece of transparent chunni covering the midriff. They sure didn’t look Indian or Chinese, but somewhere in between. Later came to know, most of them were Nepali. What they were doing, couldn’t be called dancing, they were swaying with the music with their hands moving left to right and head nodding left to right..
I grabbed a beer and got ready for the new experience in life. There was some super loud heavy beat Prabhudeva song playing, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the music in my mind and virtually dancing my ass off like the mad crowd of Mumbai dance on Ganpati visarjan. When I opened my eyes, I see this unenthusiastic girls swaying slowly to a hard beat song.
Close to midnight the crowd started coming in. Started with a few middle aged, pot bellied uncles with their laptop bags. One of them walked in very slowly, trying to be unnoticed, but checking from the corner of his eye, if there were any known people. Then came a few young enthu software techies (could make from their faces they were nerds). I heard one of them crib, there was no wi-fi coverage for his iPhone. The alcohol started flowing and the dance floor started getting crowded. The girls started pulling the men onto the dance floor. The ultimate dancer of the night was the shy uncle. He had no sense of music or dance, but sure had a lot of energy to move rigorously. A few girls had to actually step down from the dance floor to make space for the uncle. Then came the tall and heavy guy with long hair and a tilak on his forehead. He looked like Sanjay Dutt coming straight from the sets of Vastav!! Sure, seemed to be a regular, when a few waiters greeted him. These are people who come to a dance bar, listen to loud music, get crazy drunk, but wouldn’t even move a toe in the name of dance. He sat at a corner all night observing the girls.
Slowly the money started flowing. As this was in Singapore, it had to be a little sophisticated. There weren’t anyone throwing the money on the floor, but like a gentleman would hand over the money to the girls. The DJ who was a horrible mixer, played Munni badnam hui, Saki Saki, Kajrare Kajrare and every possible item songs a thousand times each. I could see stash of 10 dollar bills, and the first thing that came into my mind was each bill is worth 350 Rs. There were special requests for solo performances, where the girls did a little more than just swaying. A solo performance is when the guy making the requests gets to dance alone with the girl, while the rest of the crowd sits and watch them. The belly dancers in each girl awoke as the dollars started flowing and there were more of thumkas to see.
I checked the watch, it was quarter to 1 and the last MRT had already left. I thought to myself, what the heck, I can afford a cab back home on a party weekend and ordered for a few more beers. I couldn’t resist myself and hit the dance floor a couple of times, but I realized, the dance floor was only for the men who showed the dollars. None of the girls entertained me, as I danced alone for a few seconds. I was making a fool of myself, but that’s the beauty of being high.. you don’t care!
Around 1.30 I stepped out for some fresh air, and realized I could hear nothing but a beep sound in my ear. I was sitting close to the speaker all night, and my ear drums had gone numb. I had to call it a night and bid good bye to my friend.
I kept thinking to myself, what are these guys actually paying for? In the west, men would get a lap dance and probably more for the money. If the girls here were to give a lap dance with the heavily studded ghagra, it sure would bruise the hell out of the man’s lap! So there are men, who are throwing away dollars just to hold hands and dance with the girls and flirt a bit. I realized, even if I ever become a millionaire, I would never be convinced to throw away hard earned money at something like this which has no value for money.. However, I am glad for the girls that they can earn a living out of this.
Oh Yeah!! The best part of the evening.. for my first visit, the beers were free for me. So effectively, I really couldn’t build a social circle for myself, but it sure was a rocking night for me with a lot of loud and cheap Hindi music which made me feel in my country. And I also had my first experience of a desi dance bar outside my desh!
