Show A Man His Place

AS the swish set of south Delhi crowd the serpentine lanes of Hauz Khas Village, Punjabi hits and techno tracks reverberate with the kaleidoscopic colours of the dance floor.

- Preetha Nair

In the crush of waif-like figures, flowy dresses and maquillage, 27-year-old Shivani Rajput stands out with her black uniform and exercised frame. It’s a Saturday evening, but she’s not here to party. Standing guard at the door, she frisks female customers, checks their purses for drugs and weapons, and strikes a conversation with familiar faces.

“Weekends are tiring, but I love this job,” she gushes. Shivani began working as a guard in a call centre at the age of 16. When she was offered a position as a bouncer at My Bar Head quarters in Connaught Place, she was clueless about what it entailed, though she was confident she could ensure the wellbeing of customers. Five years later, she is proud of keeping her patrons safe.

Her day begins at 7 am with an hour-long workout session, after which she heads to her day job—a bouncer at a construction site on a disputed land. She works there till 5 pm and then goes to the club.