Thimphu, March 27 (IANS) It was a Saturday evening and considering the pace of life in Bhutan, I wasn’t sure if there would be any nightlife in its capital. Quite hesitatingly, I popped the question to our guide Nado and, to my surprise, he gave a nod.
So the excitement of exploring a pub and getting an insight into the ‘pub culture’ in the Land of the Thunder Dragon, where shops shut at 8 p.m. and eating joints close by 10 p.m. on a normal day, was difficult to contain.
It turned out that while the Bhutanese are protective about preserving their culture, they have a happening nightlife too. On weekends, youth dressed in hip clothes and funky hair styles can be seen letting their hair down at pubs, which often play Bollywood numbers.
My pub hopping with other fellow journalists began at 10 p.m. We all piled up in three cars and hit the road. There are not too many places to hang out in; so after visiting a couple of not-so-exciting pubs, we landed up at the Ace Club.
So is this the ‘it’ place, we asked Nado and with a smile he confirmed that and said: ‘Welcome to Bhutan’.
There was a small hurdle.
The guy at the counter outside the pub said ‘Strictly couple entry’; so we started a head count, and luckily the numbers were even. We handed him over 300 ngultrum per couple and headed inside.
While walking towards the dance floor, we were greeted by loud English music and not-so-big bouncers ushered us in with a cheerful smile. We were at the right place.
Inside, it was dark with deafening music filling our ear drums and in colourful disco lights we could see young boys and girls dressed in chic clothes burning the dance floor.
The traditional knee-length wrap-around ‘gho’ for men, which they pair with socks, and ‘kira’, ankle length dress for women, were replaced by jeans-T-shirts, short skirts-off shoulder tops and mini dresses.
It was delightful seeing young girls oozing oomph and getting cozy with their partners.
The DJ was playing hit numbers by international artists – from David Guetta to Black Eyed Peas to Akon. The mood for the night was setting in.
A surprise was in store – we really jumped when the DJ started playing Bollywood Punjabi numbers from ‘Band Baaja Baarat’. And then came item number ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’ and we were completely taken aback when Bhutanese women copied Katrina Kaif’s steps. We realised that Bollywood item numbers had a fan following here too.
The pub left me in awe of this country of 700,000 people that has successfully managed to maintain its tradition and at the same time created space for modernity. It was a wonderful example of how two varied cultures can exist side by side in perfect harmony.
Bhutan’s youngsters haven’t given up on their traditional attire, but at the same time they love hip-hop and hard rock. In fact, the boys are so trendy that they can give footballer David Beckham a run for his money.
If you want to enjoy the nightlife in Bhutan, go for MakeMyTrip’s new chartered flights, inclusive of holiday packages. It will be available from April to July.
(Shilpa Raina can be contacted at shilpa.r@ians.in)
