Age no bar for bachcha parties: Local clubs allow youth under 21

Ever walked into a pub and wondered what children or schoolers are doing there? Well, so have a lot of others in the city. Dressed in short skirts and tank tops, 14 and 15-year-olds are seen chugging beer and playing drinking games and having a blast at popular pubs in the city, despite strict rules present.

What is more shocking is that while a number of bars claim that they do ensure people above 21 are entering these places, the reality is quite different. “At the entrance of the club, we ask for every person’s ID proof before allowing them inside.

College ID cards are not accepted, we only accept driving licences or voters ID cards,” says Suman, the manager of a popular club on Church Street. But frequent visitors of the same place state otherwise.

“I have stopped going there because it is filled with kids who are very obviously underage. And it’s even more pathetic because they don’t know how to limit themselves and are passing out at the end of the night,” says Pooja Chugh, a 25-year-old content curater.

While some places claim to be very strict but don’t follow the rules themselves, others have come up with better ways to make sure even people underage have a good time.

“We do check ID cards before letting people in, but make sure we only serve alcohol to people above 21. We do allow people above the age of 18 inside, but have a separate lounge for them where alcohol isn’t served,” comments Jotish, a manager of another popular nightclub in Shantinagar.

It is understandably tough to make sure everybody who is entering is above 21, especially on weekends and during parties, but some places manage to carry it off. “We have a couple of bouncers who made sure that everybody entering is above 21. There have been cases when others have tried to enter saying that their friends are performing or that they have forgotten their ID at home, but we don’t accept it,” says Sathish, an employee of a nightclub on St Marks Road.

But despite all the strict checking and rules, places do let loose sometimes. “The age limit to enter is 21, but on weekdays in the mornings and afternoons, the place is usually empty and nobody bothers asking us for age proof. They don’t have any business at those hours and are more than happy to serve us anything we order,” says Sushmita Pai, a 16-year-old commerce student, about a pub on Brigade Road.