Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Woman bouncer pulls no punches in Indian capital

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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Joking with clients and colleagues, Mehrunnish­a Shokat Ali might be mistaken for any other patron of the Social watering hole in the Indian capital's swanky Hauz Khas neighborho­od.

But the intent gaze of her kohl-rimmed eyes, as she stands with arms folded on the edge of the dancefloor in an all-black outfit, watching couples bob and twirl to the music, gives away her real occupation. She is Social's famous female bouncer. Mehrunnish­a has been a bouncer for nearly a decade, and for the last three years, has done 10- hour night shifts at Social, which functions as a restaurant and co-working space seating 220 people by day, but morphs into a packed club at night.

Now Mehrunnish­a is expert in breaking up bar fights, frisking female customers, and uncovering illegal drugs.

"We decided to employ women to make sure that women customers too felt safe, and we found a great match in Mehrunnish­a," said Social's owner Riyaaz Amlani, who says she helped has defuse innumerabl­e alcohol-fuelled quarrels.

"She was fierce and determined, and the rest is history."

The 30- year- old's career highlights include being part of the security detail for Bollywood actresses such as Priyanka Chopra, the star of the U. S. television drama series "Quantico", Preity Zinta and Vidya Balan.

Mehrunnish­a is no stranger to smashing stereotype­s.

Growing up in a large Muslim family in the northern farming town of Saharanpur, 200 km (124 miles) from Delhi, she dreamed of joining the army or becoming a police officer, but her deeply conservati­ve father opposed the idea.

Only her mother's insistence allowed her to further her education beyond primary school.

But when her father's stock market losses forced the family to move to the capital, Mehrunnish­a, still in college, became the breadwinne­r for a household consisting of parents, two sisters, and her elder sister's three children, besides herself.

"Several times my brother has asked me, what sort of a job is this?" Mehrunnish­a said during a shopping expedition to prepare for Eid al- Fitr, which ends the holy month of Ramadan, recounting how difficult it had been to get her family to accept her night shifts.

"But this does not affect me, because my mother and father have faith and confidence in me, and I know I am not doing anything wrong."

Her younger sister, Tarannum, 27, also works as a bouncer at a bar just a 5-minute walk away from her own workplace. Together, they earn 30,000 rupees ($465) a month. They take immense pride in their vocation, spending up to an hour at the gym each day to build their strength, and even working through holidays.

"I am very proud of what I do, it's not an easy job," Mehrunnish­a said. "Taking care of people, especially women in a club, is a very big responsibi­lity."

Customers seem to agree. "If I come here and I see a female bouncer, I feel a lot safer," said one regular patron at Social, Nikita Lamba. Mehrunnish­a is pretty kick- ass. She is good at what she does".

 ??  ?? Melania and Brigitte leave after a boat trip down the River Seine in Paris. Reuters /Martin Bureau
Melania and Brigitte leave after a boat trip down the River Seine in Paris. Reuters /Martin Bureau
 ??  ?? Mehrunnish­a has been a bouncer for nearly a decade
Mehrunnish­a has been a bouncer for nearly a decade
 ??  ?? Female customers feel more comfortabl­e with a female bouncer around
Female customers feel more comfortabl­e with a female bouncer around

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