Dancing sony and the night stroll

           It is 11:25 of the night. I can hear noise from the dance bars, on the left street and on the right and from the back street and from the front. There is no way out! This country suddenly turned very musical over night right after the restoration of democracy back in 1990. Then it was only music: Indian, English and Nepali irrespectively. And since the King restored monarchy in power music followed by the dancers. They danced as per the viewer’s wish. The dance and song did go well together until the moment King sacked the puppet prime minister. Then the viewers were given total surprise: dancers did no longer follow the music nor they followed the viewer’s wish. They followed their heart- beats.
Once, as it was reported in the national daily, “a dancer girl stepped on to the stage without clothes”. Viewers watched with their mouth wide open! One of them even jumped up to the stage and covered the girl with his England made coat. I wished his wife had been watching the scene. What do you think she would do? Would she thank her husband saving the girl from the shame? Or would she give her husband good thrashing?
The questions are for you to ponder over while I move on with the story.
No one from the newspaper put on a single view why the girl did what she did. Later, I gathered the story from one of the night guards of the dance bar. I put forward the words right from his mouth: Soni (dancer’s name. It means gold. They are always gold, or diamond or something close to that quality) was waiting her turn. I found her breathing heavily when she came in. She asked me if she was late. I told her she was not. I also told her she was the next one to dance. Then she took a cigarette out of her pocket. Not from the packet, but straight from the pocket. I offered her fire. She began taking a deep puff. I left her there and went back to the gate to welcome the men coming in. When I came back I saw her dozing off. And of course talking alone: ‘Come on! I can’t wait longer! Time’s running out! Come on!’ Right off she began taking off her mini-clothes. I could not tolerate her act. Nor I could tell her to stop. I left her dreaming. It is her right to dream as far I was concerned. It is democratic country. Isn’t it? (Note: night guards are the only people aware of politics in Nepal. They are the one to keep vigil in the country where every political incidents or accidents takes place only when it gets dark). And the next thing I saw was Soni in her golden skin dancing!”

The night guard laughed. That I can’t report to you as he did. Sorry for the incongruity of language. Plainly, as the night guard reveals, the girls dance while they make love in their dreams. And she pulls every single beer suckers down to her dream world. These men wake up on the laps of their long-night waiting wives.

It is 12:25am Sony is still dancing.

Posted by: Sojo nepali