The Capital city seems to lack a thriving nightlife. People from other state capitals, such as Mumbai or Bangalore, often get disheartened at the prospects of spending a quiet night at home, after work. Orissa Post went around the town to find out what exactly plays the spoilsport when it comes to partying deep into the night.
manish kumar, post news network, Bhubaneswar, July 10: Sudhir Singh, is a struggling filmmaker from Mumbai. Having spent around four years in the commercial capital of India, he has grown a habit of partying hard at weekends to de-stress. But when he decided to do the same here in Bhubaneswar he was taken aback when hit by the stick of early deadlines at city night clubs.
“Recently I was in the city with my friend for some work. The deadline of 10:30pm was like a party-spoiler. Most often office-going young people get rid of work and ready to lay their hair down at around 10pm during weekdays or at weekends. I was astonished to see the very early deadline here in the city which is not there in most of the big cities,” Sudhir said.
Like Sudhir there are many who are often hit by the early deadline, which ruins their opportunity to party late into the night. DJ Tushar has been a part of the many happening parties in the city. He says early deadlines not only ruin the prospects of the party goers, but also the business establishments.
“I have performed in several cities across the country. Most of the cities have late deadlines for the night clubs and the bars to close down. But in Bhubaneswar all parties are bound to wind up early. So, the people here prefer to organise late-night parties at their houses or at some farm house, to avoid interference of the police,” says DJ Tushar operating from the city.
Another young party organiser from the city says, “An appreciable chunk of the youth in the city now comprises outsiders. Many from big cities are now either working here or studying at some reputable colleges. The people of this age group are eager to party at the weekends or at their leisure time. Tight deadlines often ruin their plans and they are bound to pack up early unlike in other cities.”
Business establishments, especially the hoteliers, say that if the deadline could be extended by the authorities concerned, they would have gained more from their businesses. Owner of the Mellony Bar and Restaurant in the city said, “Many youths from the close-by areas often come to our establishment for fun and partying, but we have to pack up early due to set rules. Although we do perceive a surge in demand from people, who want to come for late night-parties, we are bound by the rules and are unable to serve them. If the authorities would help us, we are sure of doing better business, as there is no dearth in demand.”
Uma Shankar of the Plaza Club in the city says, “Our club gives the visitors an opportunity to hit the dance floor. More often than not we also offer the services of a DJ to keep the ambience more vibrant. But there is nothing beyond the set deadline. We follow the 10.30pm deadline and take no orders after 10pm.”
The city has around 5-6 night clubs, which are run by some big hotels or independently, alongside the numerous bars and other small establishments. Music, food and beverages served in these establishments often welcome the young population of the city to celebrate their moments of life there, but many party goers complain that the common norms of the night clubs practiced in other metros are not followed here in the Capital city, thereby taking the fun element out of nightlife and rendering the so called nightclubs ‘unprofessional’.
The city police confirm that there is the deadline sword dangling over the heads of the club owners and the hotel managers. “There are rules for downing shutters in these establishments by 10:30pm. We have to follow the guidelines. Our team often asks the night club and hotel owners to get their outlets closed between 10:30-11pm,” said Bishnu Mishra, public relation officer, Police Commisionerate Bhubaneswar.
