The 90s' child

So, I got to know this past Sunday that Ghungaroo has reopened in Delhi! Yes, the same 'it' place where you were'happening' if you got in. Growing up in the 90s is a completely different thing. I almost feel ancient writing about it, ok, nostalgic if you insist. 

We never went 'lounging' or 'to chill.' Our agenda of a night out was very straight. 'We would go dancing!' The first discotheque I went to was Mirage at The Surya. I was sixteen then. Yes, they would mostly not check your ID back then as long as you are dressed right- the shortest of skirts with the biggest block heels(ironically a lot of places check my ID now) and your friends appeared older(in my case, they were always older cousins!) The popular places were Mirage, Djinns and Float. You had to check out a new place when it opened. Stay loyal to it until the next big thing arrives(which would be usually about two years at least). 

Getting in to these places would be another story. The queues were long,the skirts short and hanging around just didn't guarantee entry. Wednesday nights were popular because of the ladies'night. Discs(as they were called back then) remained open till 4. And all we did from 10p.m.to 4a.m. was dance. You would see the same people at these places. Loyalties were strong. A Djinns patron wouldn't set foot in Float and vice versa. On a Wednesday you would know of your Saturday night plans. Nothing worked impromptu since you have to plan your clothes, your excuses at home etc. plans were made not on cell phones because none existed. I feel we are the last generation that's punctual because we didn't have cell phones to communicate enroute.

It was The Jessica Lall case that changed the party scene in Delhi. Suddenly parents became more protective. The deadlines changed- both for the bars and me! No bar could remain open after 1a.m. It seemed Delhi had come to a halt. The faces in the party circuit changed. There was a sadness in the air. You wouldn't be as carefree going out at night as you were. 

And soon after, with the advent of technology, exposure, the glorious decade had ended. The concept of dancing was vanishing, in came the lounge bars. And so many opened together that no more did anyone have to wait outside in a queue to get in. The queues got shorter, the spaces smaller. There is a watering hole in every neighbourhood now. But has that made life better? More fun?? Think about it, not necessarily!

The Unsaid Things

When you teach Yoga as a profession and not just do it for fun, suddenly things change. Everything is calculated in terms of how many classes translate into how much money, workshops versus private classes, private classes versus studio etc. currently I charge a thousand a class, more for workshops and I don't go lower than that. And I certainly know there are many who are willing to charge half of that. This hasn't happened overnight and you have to make it worthwhile otherwise you make yourself one of those thousand trainers who learnt yoga watching Baba Ramdev on TV.

It's hard to stay motivated when you work as a freelancer. There are times I go without a single class an entire week. There are times I am inundated with classes and sometimes I am watching TV or reading a book the entire day waiting... basically killing time. It was different when I started out... I met other trainers, we did yoga together, brainstormed, took retreats together, hung out in the evenings. It certainly is a non glamourous life. There aren't social events lined up for you(Delhi society feel ashamed getting out of their houses before 11p.m and that's when you should be fast asleep because you have a 6a.m class). 

Random people sometimes ask me about my very 'exciting' life. I just laugh it off saying its not like the Beatles'. Nobody tells you about the loneliness that comes with it. Unconventional working hours, meager wages, the pressure to 'look fit' always, no colleagues, days when you feel like a complete idiot for not choosing a conventional profession. For not moving towards goals that your MBA friends have set up for themselves. When you feel completely worthless for barely being able to take care of your own expenses. When you hate the glint in people's eyes when you describe your profession and they go 'Oh WOW!' You wanna scream out, 'Be in my shoe and then say it!' When you almost look for a normal job and even that scares you because you have never even thought do it, forget doing it.

And then, you sit back, content, because you are doing what you are passionate about. You are doing what people had warned you against. You are doing what all those friends want to do but don't have the courage to do it. When all you are doing is following your dream!