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!