An angel' dust protest

The pub city, Bengaluru, that was once considered one of the safest cities to live in is slowly losing its credibility now. While there have been protests and petitions, not much seems to have come around for the assistance of the fairer sex yet. But there’s a ray of hope now. Next time you’re sipping on your tipple and feel any kind of threat, just say the code word to the serving staff. The code word is a signal to the serving staff to save the angels in distress. We find out more.

If it exists in the US and other countries then why can’t we implement it in Bengaluru feels Satyanarayana Murthy, Chief Executive Officer India Radio Ventures, Radio Indigo, explaining that the idea was born after the New Year’s Eve molestation incident.

“We believe that safety is not just a regulator’s problem. That’s why we’re urging Bengalureans to not be bystanders, but ensure your city becomes safer for women. If a date has gone wrong or if some man is trying to act smart, then the girls speak out the code word to the person serving them at the bar or cafe and expect instant help. We have placed posters with the code in washrooms. Indigo teams and RJs are training the staff on how they can help their customers. They can ask for immediate help, call a cab or even a cop if need be. Our radio jockeys have already talked to people, and 15 pubs, bars and coffee shops have tied up for this initiative called #NeverABystander.”

The participating outlets include Nandos Indiranagar, Plan B, Sotally Tober, Toit, Permit Room, Mother Cluckers, One Night in Bangkok and some others. Next time you feel threatened you can ask for angel dust or whatever the code is. The actual shot doesn’t exist, but is a code to signal that something is bothering them. Sibi Venkataraju, co-founder The Permit Room and Toit says, “It’s a help call without making it obvious. It’s a subtle way of telling the staff that they need to get out of a problematic situation. The bartender gets the signal and helps out by calling a cab or Uber for the girl who orders the angel shot. We have just implemented it.”

These bar angel shots are angels in disguise helping women with protection in public. The trick lies in ordering the non-existent angel shot at either the bar or at their table through a server. Thashvin Muckatira, co-founder, One Night in Bangkok, states, “The concept of angel shots seems to be a great safety measure to ask for help secretly. The first step would be to edu train our staff, so that they are fully aware of the concept and know exactly how to act upon it when the occasion arises.”