Don’t wanna spin it here

Namma Bengaluru���s nightlife gets drearier still.
We���re not suggesting you go out, party and forget what times we live in. But if you wonder ��� for probably the hundredth time this week ��� if our police is equipped to protect us, fret not. They���re doing a pretty good job of making sure people have no avenues to release their fear and frustration.
���There are 8-10 cops stationed at every nightclub in Bangalore, keeping a close vigil on the common man who dares to smoke, dance or have fun,��� says a club owner.And they complain that the force is understaffed, points out entertainment pro Rohit Barker. ���While terrorists are plotting their next attack, our cops are busy taping law-abiding citizens swaying in their seats at a nightclub,��� Rohit says.
With the curbs on citizens��� freedom and recession at its worst, the entertainment industry has taken a beating. ���How can you run a business if there are a bunch of cops ready to escort anyone who so much as shakes his head to the station?��� another club owner asks.
It���s the DJs who���ve been so badly affected that most have shifted to other cities. ���I was playing here after months and I���d hardly got on to the console when cops barged into the place and said ���no dancing���. This while Mumbai and the rest of India were recovering from the terror attacks. Shouldn���t they be policing the city rather than treating us like criminals? Do you think Mumbai pubs will shut down after the attacks?��� asks Rohit. ���Any DJ worth his salt has moved out of Bangalore. DJ Ivan and I travel every weekend,��� he adds.
The more popular DJs have moved out, DJ Jasmeet agrees, adding that freshers��� careers are destroyed. ���I���m a Bangalore boy; I can���t think of living elsewhere. But I���ve been travelling a lot more, grabbing everything that comes my way. Corporate parties are also on the downside because of the recession,��� he says. The art is killed in the process. ���Earlier, we���d play new sounds and tracks often. Now, the crowd is clueless about new songs and happy with anything you play,��� he says.
DJ Sasha has also been playing in Thailand, Mauritius, Chennai and even Mysore in the last couple of months. ���It���s slightly better if you���re a resident DJ (although, officially you���re not supposed to play); freelancer DJs are having a hard time. We travel out and take up gigs on the outskirts of the city, which kind of evens out at the end,��� he says.
���DJs live in fear of their equipment being seized. We���ve already lost the best DJs. They come to Bangalore like they used to travel to Mumbai and Delhi. Visiting DJs also think twice before accepting a gig here,��� says a club owner. ���The government has ordered the police commissioner to issue us disco licences, minus the building occupation certificate. But the latter is yet to move the files. He could actually relieve more than 250 cops from their disco vigil duty across the city and put them to better use,��� the owner says.
TEJASWINI TIRTA
teju.thirtha@timesgroup.com