Doubts are raised often about the "character" of those who frequent bars. And ask regular bar-goers about why they prefer one bar over others? Their answer will invariably be -- "because of its character". The conundrum being, whether the "character" of customers determine the character of a bar, or it is the other way around.
A question that nags those who like to drink in a bar is why can't they drink at home? The general assumption being they have restrictions imposed by the family that constrain them from consuming alcohol in the house. While this may be true for the majority in a conservative country like ours, a large number go to bars for the atmosphere and company. That is something non-drinkers find hard to digest. That we have a proud lineage of Madhushalas and Maikhanas, on which many an ode were written, does not convince the sceptics.
Through the ages and across civilizations, taverns and public houses have had a special role in the lives of people. In many societies, bars are an intrinsic part of the culture like the British pubs, Japanese Izakayas, and German Kneipes. It may be a stretch to claim the Dance Bars of yore in Mumbai or the ones with bright neon-signs one sees on the way from airports in many cities define the high point of bar-culture in new India. Nor do places with blaring music, psychedelic lights and bizarre interiors, known as 'clubs' in modern parlance, qualify to be called bars. Both fail the 'character' smell test. But we too have our own tradition of watering holes, as it were.
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Like so many elements of life in post-colonial India, bars are a legacy left behind by the British. The teak and mahogany panelled rooms serving scotch and soda at night, pink gins in the afternoons at social clubs and army messes in cantonments formed the gold standard of bars. Many hotels of the Raj-era replicated the design and ambience. While the clubs remain, the old style bars in hotels are fast disappearing and hard to come by. Today's younger set likes vibrancy and even the neo-seniors prefer to have their drinks spiked with a dash of music. Not all of them have swung the full one hundred and eighty degrees. Some have struck a happy balance between fun and fine taste. Personally, I tend to gravitate towards the latter. The only hitch being many of those have raised their bar over my pay grade.
Still I cannot resist the occasional foray into a few.
The Library Bar at The President in Mumbai's Cuffe Parade used to be one of them. It has been replaced by the Wink, which has become immensely popular, I am told. Known as much for its cocktails and range of beers, as the array of finger foods, including the medley of Sushi.
In the same vein, is the Rick's at Taj Mahal on Mansingh Road, New Delhi. I have spent many memorable evenings there watching Delhi's high life sitting in a quiet corner sometimes by myself and on luckier days with an absorbing companion. Time flowed like a mellow drink. Now with age, drinking has become an intensely personal experience. So I opt for one of the bar stools -- observing the bar man prepare drinks as consummately as a musician.
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Among the Clubs, by current reckoning, there is none to beat the Dolphin Bar at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. It is a "catch-all" bar with infectious energy that attracts people of all ages. Bars at other clubs of the city cannot match its mix of tradition and modernity -- a blend perfected by its friendly staff and delectable bar-snacks.
The main bar at the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club or CCFC, which traces its origins to 1792, exudes similar vibes. The Clubs in Delhi cannot match those of Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai except probably the Indian International Centre, which is one of its kind. At no other bar do the members take themselves so seriously, taking each sip to dissolve the burden of running the country. Seated at the counter one can eavesdrop on deliberations on how to redeem the nation from a fascist regime.
Where I feel truly at home, though, is in the quaint bar at Coonoor Club in the Nilgiris, which has a plaque on the wall stating its motto -- "There are no strangers here, only friends you have never met."
But none of the bars at the hotels and clubs can lay claim to being a cultural caudron.
The Olympia Bar (now called Olypub) used to be one such outlet. As per legend, once upon a time its beef steak was considered the best in Asia. I cannot vouch for that but it does serve a mean Chilly Chicken doused in dark soya sauce, green chillies and onion in the true Calcutta Hakka Style, with moderately priced liquor. However, the old clientele of journalists and writers are gone as the centre of intellectual gravity has shifted out of the city.
The one that remains though is Shaw's Bar -- popularly called "Chota Bristol" in Dharmatala, in a narrow alley behind the now shut Metro cinema. There is no other drinking joint in the country of its type that I know of, though some permit rooms of Maharashtra or Toddy Shops of Kerala can be a distant match in terms of its feel.
Still a men's-only place, Shaw's Bar has a unique spectrum of customers ranging from Scotch Whisky tipplers to guzzlers of country hooch. Street vendors are allowed to walk in with short eats on paper plates and go round the tables. Every drink has to be paid for in cash to avoid drunken brawls later. This is one place where one can still overhear both aspiring and failed poets reciting verses to an enthralled audience on the next table.
Reserving the best for the last, one cannot end the piece without talking of Janata Bar at Pali Naka in Bandra, Mumbai. It has the most eclectic crowd from young bankers, young ad-world executives, would-be corporate honchos unaffectedly sharing tables with people from all walks and strata in life devouring the one of the best Mandali Fry and Tandoori Pomfret in town. Alcohol is a great leveller -- that brooks no bar.
(Sandip Ghose is a current affairs commentator.)