‘In the absence of work, we’ll have to beg or join the flesh trade’

Eight years after the Congress-NCP state government took a moral stand and banned dance bars in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court, in 2013, ruled against the ban and ordered that they be reopened. However, first the Congress government and now the BJP-Shiv Sena government have been delaying implementation of the order on one pretext or the other.

Taking strong note of non-compliance with its order, the Supreme Court, in response to the petition filed by the state government against the reopening of dance bars, said last week that dancing is “a performance of art” and that “it is better to dance than to go to streets for begging or earning livelihood through unacceptable means.”

Anamika Gharat spoke with Rashmi Singh, a bar dancer who retains her surname but has changed her first name, about life as a bar dancer, and what it would mean in real terms if bar dancing isn’t allowed to start again.

Where are you from and what does your family do I am Rashmi Singh, resident of Uttar Pradesh, and we have our own spacious house over there. In my family there’s my 62-year-old father, my mother and four sisters, including me. I am the second eldest. We are their princesses and they are very proud of us. My father left a clerk’s job when I was in seventh standard. After three years he stopped earning altogether as he couldn’t find employment opportunities of his choice.

Why did you take up this profession (bar dancing) I took up this profession to earn money with dignity. My father hasn’t been working for the past few years and my mother is a housewife. My teachers always encouraged me to study. I wanted to be an IAS officer and studied hard. I scored 82 per cent in my SSC. But I had to leave studies as we couldn’t afford higher education. My elder sister has a skin allergy, therefore my parents could not fix her marriage. She never goes out of the house, as she feels embarrassed about her allergy. We have to get her treated. In the end, it fell upon me to take on the responsibility of my parents and my two younger sisters’ education.

Were you forced into the profession or was it your decision to work as a bar dancer When I decided to take on my family’s responsibility at the age of 15, I was very confident that I would start a small business and be able to take care of my family. I tried selling vegetables but most of the time I could not save enough money to buy vegetables again (she recollects with tears in her eyes).

In fact, our condition was so bad that on certain days we didn’t have money to buy food for six family members. We would starve for days. Then some people suggested that I join a bar as a dancer. They also convinced my parents that bar dancers only dance and are safe. They are not forced into prostitution. That’s when I decided to join this profession.

When did you come to Mumbai and what was your experience here I sold my only gold ring to buy the ticket to Mumbai and for other expenses. I came to Mumbai on May 12, 2012. In the beginning I stayed in a 4x8 sq ft room. At night I had to sleep near the toilet which was dirty and stinky.

What was your first experience like, being in a bar I started my journey as a bar dancer on May 15, 2012, in Mumbai. I was very scared because I had never danced as my elder sister and father didn’t like any of us dancing. At first I stood on the dance floor scared, trying to imitate other girls. I could not dance that day and, therefore, no one gave me a single rupee. But gradually, with time, I started learning different forms of dance and felt confident about performing in front of customers at the bar.

Any bitter experience in your profession that you can never forget During my initial days, one day two men came in front of me as I was dancing. With lust in their eyes, they tried to touch me. It made me so nervous that I took a few steps back. But they tried to pull me and whispered in my ears, “We will give you so much money. Dance with us.” When I ignored them, they shouted at me. The male colleagues in the bar handled the situation politely and they never bothered me again. That day I gained confidence and gradually my income increased.

Customers who come to the bar think and behave with us as if we are their property after giving us a Rs 100 note.

How do you manage your expenses and that of your family When I left my home town, my father had only Rs 100 with him. My family was expecting that I would send them money as soon as I reached Mumbai. But I couldn’t earn money for the first six days because of shyness and my inability to dance. After that I could only earn Rs 20.

My parents started calling me for money... After one such phone call, when I came to know that my family had starved for two days and my younger sister had fever, I decided that I would dance and won’t be shy. I did my own make-up and, for the first time, stood in the first line of dancers. I danced my shoes off on hot Bollywood songs like Sheela ki Jawani. That day I earned Rs 200, but I had to struggle to earn enough money to be able to send some back home to my family who were entirely dependent on my income. Now I earn more than Rs 3,000 in two or three days. (Several dance bars operate illegally througout Maharashtra.)

You scored 82 per cent in the SSC exams. Then why didn’t you think of quitting this profession and trying something else You think I never tried I did, but I could not continue with that because of the people in our so-called white-collar society who feel that their daughters have the right to a life of dignity but we do not.

About eight months back I left dancing and planned to save money to start studying again. I got a job as a sales girl at one of the beauty product shops in Byculla. But, after a week at the job, the shopowner and few other employees came to know about my previous profession. This changed their behaviour towards me. After a few days, a male colleague tried to be over friendly with me. He started touching me inappropriately. But I was more shocked when I informed my boss about it. He fired me without saying a word to this colleague.

That day I realised that bar dancing is a much safer profession. We always get respect from our colleagues, bar owners and waiters. We can dress according to our wish. In fact, all the waiters and the owner supported us when anyone misbehaved with us. I resumed bar dancing and began to earn more than what I was getting at the shop, and with respect.

The government and many people say that bar dancing is obscene. When Bollywood actresses dance onscreen in revealing dresses, people appreciate it. It is called acting. But when we dance in a bar, people stigmatise us. The outside world is more dangerous than life as a bar dancer. Other than Bollywood, we also perform classical dances like mujra or kathak. In fact, we love performing these as they look elegant. But our customers, who are sophisticated outside in the world, don’t like these...

We always face social stigma and harassment in the outside world, as people perceive “bar girls” to be prostitutes and discriminate against us. We get more respect inside the dance bar than outside it, in your so-called “sophisticated” city.

What’s your opinion about the state government’s attempts to extend the ban on bar dancing There are more than one lakh girls involved in this profession. Other than Uttar Pradesh, many girls come from Rajasthan and West Bengal. If the government wants to close the business, then it must provide us an alternate employment opportunity. If it doesn’t, we will have no other option but to get into prostitution.

Indian society is male-dominated and will always denounce us. So in the absence of respectable employment, we will have no other option but to beg or enter the “flesh trade”...

Everyone, irrespective of his/her profession, has the right to get respect. We deserve it too. We are not a stain on society. And we have opted for this profession to earn, to buy food, to survive and not for fun. We are performing an art, so please appreciate our art and the strong women who enter this profession.