Now that the clubs are gone...

Instead of going dancing, youngsters are heading to a growing number of lounges, resto-pubs and bars with performance clubs, lounges and resto-pubs seeing rising numbers.

Instead of going dancing, youngsters are heading to a growing number of lounges, resto-pubs and bars with performance clubs, lounges and resto-pubs seeing rising numbers.

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“Going clubbing takes a lot of effort,” says Vineet Bangera, 26, a professional salsa dancer and instructor who has stopped going to nightclubs and instead visits lounges or pubs. “There’s no point spending time dressing up and travelling all the way to a club if you’re only there for a short period of time. There's no pressure on me to dance or dress up well at pubs. I can even wear shorts and slippers to some of these places."

House parties have become another popular option, particularly after the recent crackdowns and stricter enforcement of drinking and driving laws. College student Ronak Rajani, 20, who used to frequent nightclubs every week a year ago and now goes to them only once a month, feels that they are the best alternative right now. “You can select the kind of music you want, dance the way you want to and, best of all, there is no deadline,” he says.

Finally, the status quo seems to be causing a shift in mindset as well. Some, like Bangera, feel that going to nightclubs is a teenybopper phase and the current lack of options for ‘partying’ may not be that bad a thing. “I used to go very frequently when I was 17, and now when I look back at it, the whole thing feels a little silly,” he says, with a laugh. “At a club, all you can do is get hammered and dance to music; there’s very little social interaction. Maybe the lack of clubbing options will force teenagers to mature faster.”