**The dense fog in the capital coupled with the recent spate of robberies and murders did nothing to make life easier for Delhi police on New Year's eve.
THE New Year was I welcomed with much A fanfare, loud music and late-night parties across the country while the pious .prayed for a happier year than the one gone by. But in Mumbai, the revelry had more than a touch of disappointment thanks to the refusal of dancing girls to turn up for work at the citv's bars. The lights, decorations and the liquor were all there. But many of the bars' patrons returned disappointed because the ubiquitous dancing girls were missing. Thousands of girls who dance to Hindi film songs in these bars struck work on December 24 to demand a larger share in tips given by customers. Bar owners tried their best to resolve the crisis, but succeeded in convincing only a few of the girls to return to work for New Year's eve.
There are about 3.500 bars that have girls in sequined outfits and heavy make-up performing on small dance floors.
The girls bring in more revenue than the food and drinks sold for. but end up getting less than half the money they help raise. About Rs. 3.5 million ($83,000) changes hands in Mumbai's bars every night. According to Manjeet Singh, president of the Bar Owners' Association, the strike was off and many girls had started reporting back to work since the night of December 30.
'This is not enough, the girls will not accept anything less than 70 per cent. Let them keep 30 per cent." said Dolly Thakur, a 32-year-old representative of the dancing girls who herself performed Tor many years in several Mumbai bars. The strike was not called off, she insisted. "The strike is on," said Anand Shetty, president of the Maharashtra Hotel and Restaurant Ladies' Union. "They will not budge this time unless bar owners give them their due."
About 20.000 dancing girls
In Mumbai live entirely off the largesse of customers as they are not paid salaries. Customers flash currency notes and dancing girls come up to collect them. Though the dancers doused the fervour of some, others with whole families still made merry at various places. While in Mumbai, the not spots were the Gateway of India and sundry other beaches which people thronged in thousands. in Delhi the hub of celebration was Connaught Place.
Clowns entertained children during the day at Connaught Place, but as the evening progressed, its corridors were taken over by people congregating at restaurants and bars. Liquor flowed freely at private parties organised by the city's glitterati as people party-hopped late into the chilly and foggy night. Despite the cold, people congregated at the vast India Gate lawns swinging to drum beats and bursting crackers. Police armed with
breathalysers were alert in all the metros ready to check driving by drunken revellers. While restaurants, bars, discotheques and pubs in Mumbai were allowed to remain open and play music till 2 A.M., people were forbidden from driving cars with blaring music after 11.30 P.M.
The dense fog in the capital coupled with the recent spate of robberies and murders did nothing to make life easier for Delhi police on New Year's eve. In the eastern metropolis, Cal-cuttans swarmed Park Street where restaurants had everything from poetry recitations to belly dancing on offer. People who chose to remain indoors heralded the New Year over a home-cooked dinner and programmes on television. In the southern city of Chennai, special midnight prayers were held at temples and churches as in other places in Tamil Nadu.
— India Abroad News Service