Buddha in the Club

Bandra, Mumbai, 31st July, 2011

Shining bright lights diffused colours onto the darkened floor reverberating to a thumping bass and to the feet of party revelers; Sunday enjoyers; drinkers and dancers; loners and friends; couples and stags; sober ones and the not-so-sober ones; payers and earners. The strobe lights up there on the ceiling matched the variety of colours presented by the crowd that night and every other night, when people and friends would congregate together in that club to dance to music. Escaping the dull monotony into a night fresh with possibilities and limitless entertainment had become an important itinerary in everyone’s life. I moved through the crowd avoiding accidental physical contact, although it was unnecessary because nobody seemed to mind that occasional accidental touch which otherwise causes quite a concern in the world outside of the confined premises here.

Young ones threw themselves to impromptu jerks attuned rhythmically to give impressions of calculated dance moves. One arm for most of them was occupied balancing a glass of drink or a bottle of beer, helping the owner of the arm to an occasional helping of a sip or two through the night, through random bodily actions. Just Dance!

I approached the bar and ordered for a beer and then turned back to again get lost into the unstillable gathering of dreamers, enjoyers, hopefuls, professionals, workers, males, females, humans! Ripe females in garments shorter than what is comfortable for bedroom attires, shaking every bone structure inside their bodies, to the extent allowed by their muscles and tendons. The couples lost into their other half-for-the-night. Bodies linked closer than a pair of Siamese twins. Bodies, that may or may not know of the impending surgical operation by the doctor of destiny. Stags could be spotted at times in a corner or two sipping their drinks. They were as still as a foot guard at the Buckingham palace looking around with their eyes hoping to catch some eyeballs like a T.V programme. The night provided an amusing contrast in the expressions of multitudes of faces present.

A while ago, few nights before, exiting the Toto’s Garage at Bandra, Parineeta (name changed) told me that she liked hanging out in nightclubs. I asked her why? “Its good fun”. “How”? “Accha lagta hai!”. “ I see”, I observed. “Kya accha lagta hai”? “Actually there is nothing much to it”, she came around with a small confession. “You know what?, I used to simply cry at times inside clubs, or after the party gets over for no reason at all”. “I see”, I observed again. I told her that even I too would have my eyes welling up with tears at times. In fact I knew the reasons as well. That was some time ago when I used to cry because of a lot of reasons. But this night, it was immeasurable joy. I was soaking life at the same spot, in the same club. I used to cry at my helplessness, now I smile at the life around, like the laughing Buddha.

This is not Schadenfreude; just an observation.......through The Lookin' Glass.

Image from here.