Late on Thursday afternoon in the Mumbai Central area, close to the bustling railway station, two women walked out of a bar. Among the many bar dancers who have been leading a difficult life since the ban on dance bars in 2005, they were unwilling to give their names, but, ironically, were willing to pose for photographs.
Many dance bars never went out of business, insiders say; they merely continued under the patronage of local police officers in exchange of favours.
The two women had no idea what the 2014 amendment to the Maharashtra Police Act that had banned dance performances in bars and some other places meant to them. All they know is that they need to work hard for their next meal and for taking care of their children.
“I have a young daughter,” one of them said. “I don’t want her to know my name was published in a newspaper. My only wish is that she goes through school and gets a good job when she grows up.” The aspirations of bar dancers are minimal, she said. “All we want is to earn money without selling our souls, and fend for our families. Is that wrong? Even if there is a Supreme Court decision, what will change? Will men look at us respectfully? Will the government leave us alone?”
The bar’s manager, named Valli, was dejected at the loss of revenue in the past decade. “The police would harass us 10 years ago, they have harassed us for the past 10 years, and they will continue to do so, regardless of what the Supreme Court says. Nothing will change.”
After the ban, Prabha Desai, founder of the Sanmitra Trust, has rehabilitated 1,000 teenagers and 500 women previously working at dance bars. “The ban destroyed the livelihood of many women and it brought them to the streets,” she said. “I welcome the Supreme Court decision.”
