STARRY NIGHTS

WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD SLEEPS, NIGHT OWLS PROWL THE STREETS OF INDIA'S MEGACITIES. BUT WITH REGULATIONS BARRING ANY SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY DURING NIGHT-TIME, THEY BARELY HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO

- RAJAT MISHRA

IT'S 1 AM IN A STILL, MUGGY NIGHT in Delhi. In a corner of the city, at the Aerocity area near the international airport, Khubani in Andaz Delhi hotel is brimming with people decked in their swankiest attires. Men and women sway to the soft, soulful music wafting through the place, with some looking in from the balcony of what you might describe as a ballroom. Each patron seems to be in the thrall of the song being sung by a Sufi singer. While the crowd is mesmerised by the melody, people in uniform are busy weaving through those swaying to the music, serving drinks and snacks among the patrons. Even the bar is bustling with orders.

The stream of people coming in to enjoy every Wednesday evening's Sufi rendition doesn't stop till late into the night. "We enjoy coming to the outlet, which is safe and where we can enjoy at night. Sometimes, we want to stay beyond 1 am but the bar staff starts pushing us to leave, and that irks us," says a couple who frequents Khubani and other similar outlets.

Khubani is one of the few nightclubs in Delhi that remain open late into the night. "You can count outlets like Khubani on your fingertips in Delhi. Being the national capital, Delhi is still very far from becoming a night-time economy," says Sharad Madan, Co-founder of Imperfecto and Khubani. Madan owns 12 such establishments in Delhi and Gurugram, and says that there are hardly any people out having a good time in Delhi after 1 am. However, when you travel across the world, the party begins at night.