Some say Kolkatans have the habit of being loyal to brands, be it political, electronics, publications or apparels. Is nightclubs latest addition to the list? Or else, why would a section of party-animals end up hitting the same floors again and again?

Why people be loyal to certain brands and not to others is a complex topic, some even prefer to term it inscrutable! Why people prefer some night clubs over others is a question even more complicated; is it the quality of ambience, food-n-wine, service, or simple combinations of the three that lure people?

The meaning of ambience has become vague, or it’s been rendered so over the years. A subtle décor and quality music can strike the right chord in one while another might find it boring. To some party goers like Gaurav Dugar, ambience equates to quality crowd as he says, “What makes me go to a place is the crowd, apart from music, food and service. I prefer smart, elite and sophisticated crowd and accordingly choose my clubs."

Comments like this can make you think that communist Kolkata has shunned the concept of ‘Class-struggle’, at least after the dark, and is fast becoming class conscious! Also the number of footfalls of the correct type is important to some, as it helps one to get lost into the crowd, shed inhibitions and go wild. “It’s the crowd that makes or breaks a place. I wouldn’t want to make a fool of myself by dancing in a less crowded place, since that will make me very conscious”, says Simran Chopra, a media professional.

Nightclubs are also hot-spots for developing and growing business networks. And the presence of hot-shots from the corporate world can make a night-club attractive to many. Says Varun Rajgarhia, a young businessman, “The first thing I look for is the professional crowd so that I can build new contacts. I want to have a good time and the company of people who matter.”

There may be other reasons as well, but each of them, like the ones discussed above would mirror how people try to match their identity with that of the nightclubs, or how they embed images of specific nightclubs to their identity. The scope of getting discovered in a particular joint on a particular day and time of every weekend can work as a style-statement for one. It is quite similar to your attitude towards your preferred brands, like your pack of cigarettes or your designer shoes, meant to create a separate space for you, to make you feel and look special.

Smita Sharma