Bar Dancer Simran

The protectors of morals and ethics in society pronounced Bars and bar girls as a corrupt influence. But is even a thought spared on what makes these women take to dancing in bars? What is the future after the only occupation that sustains them and their family is snatched away? Many of them are forced to enter this profession due to compulsions. Take the example of Gagandeep Kaur aka Simran to the customers of Uma Palace bar in Mulund. Simran, 21 years, is the daughter of a retired armyman from Ludhiana. Back at home at Ludhiana, Simran has to care for her mother, sister, brother and an alcoholic father. At Ludhiana, Simran worked as a maid servant earning Rs 40 a day, hardly enough to sustain her family. She picked up steps from dance shows telecast on television and became a dancer. She joined an orchestra troupe, but the troupe earned only during marriage season, which is January to April. She used to earn around Rs 1500 a show, out of which Rs 500 used to go to the agent organising the shows. She worked there for around 2 years. Then she got a chance to perform in Mumbai in 2002. Through another agent, she landed in Uma Palace. Here she got the name Simran. Now for the last year and half, she has been working in a bar in Dadar as a dancer. She even landed a contract to perform in Muscat and Dubai for Rs 3 lakhs for one year, but so far she has received around one and half lakhs. She maintains that there is nothing wrong in dancing on a floor of a bar as even film actress performs numbers for all to see. She now earns around Rs 25,000 a month, out of which she sends home Rs 10,000. But the closure of bars means an uncertain future for Simran and thousands like her. The steps now are tentative for Simran.