Topaz

A friend and I went to a dance bar. With a name that suggested a kind of peerless stone; since I’m no gemologist I won’t tell. It was a dance bar – one of a ubiquitous phenomenon in Mumbai till the state government banned all of them – of the more sophisticated sort. Not at all that seedy. With 3-4 rooms to choose from and plenty of girls in all of them. They dance to the latest film hits from Bollywood. They sway, swirl and sashay. The routine is pretty simple. They eye a potential and then try a move or two – if the guy is interested he shows a few notes and she dances for him solely. Men then proffer them money and request some kind of special steps… but it is all above board… no touching or groping. Drinks including an aerated beverage cost Rs.200-300 onwards! Might as well drink the real stuff and get drunk!

I watched bemusedly as an eclectic bunch of chaps smirked and smiled lecherously. The inebriated swagger would normally seem disgusting but to me it was somehow funny. All definitely married and well placed professionals or businessmen – and yet here they were… the fact that they were deriving pleasure and a sense of self worth (aggrandizing themselves no end) by merely showering money was so peculiar. Perhaps believing they are the Nawabs and Maharajas of yore… with ‘nautch’ girls doing their every bidding? What a kick for the chauvinistic male ego. What a booster – what a trip! A grim reminder of how primitive we humans are. Comic yet inescapable that at a primordial level our desires are still so very base.

Of course at the surface it appeared to be a decent joint and not a front of prostitution as many others might probably be. The girls were pretty and quite attractive. The fact that they were probably forced into this trade due to poor circumstances of fate is so easily overlooked. Many support entire families and for them it is just a “job” that they are working at. Here they are dancing and smiling coquettishly. Flirting subtly now; then irritated with the overly aggressive client pushing him back into his seat. Always the eye-contact… the thrust of the hips… moving gracefully on toes… twirling hands in the air… lip synching… moving with the beat… rhythmically always… The “pious & pure” amongst us (is there such a thing?) decry the evil & corrupting influence and the government obviously takes the stand that it stands to gain from.

What is my opinion? Ideally - obviously the factors that are identified as being causal should be dealt with. But if the world were Utopia would the world’s oldest profession continue to thrive? They’re just making a living… give them the chance to. Perhaps some girls do solicit… an illegitimate activity. Why blame them? Because they are merely supply for a demand. A demand made by many reprehensible members of our society. We feed off the flesh of ourselves. Pity.