Cabaret in Dehradun.

 Been A Step Ahead In Entertainment 

How much do you know about Cabaret and guess how it is Related to Dehradun.

Wikipedia says Cabaret is an artform featuring live music, song, dance, recitation, or drama for entertainment . It is mainly distinguished by the performance venue, which might be a pub, a restaurant or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, does not typically dance but usually sits at tables and enjoys the event. Performances are usually introduced by a master of ceremonies or MC. The entertainment, as done by an ensemble of actors and according to its European origins, is often (but not always) oriented towards adult audiences and of a clearly underground nature. In the United States striptease, burlesque, drag shows, or a solo vocalist with a pianist, as well as the venues which house such events, are often advertised as cabarets.

OK  so which city will come to your mind first when you will think of an old "western" form of art and entertainment being performed in, which is although considered to be very bold and something which is opposite to the Indian culture. So obviously, you’ll name some metropolises like Mumbai, Goa, and with a wild guess even Delhi, which are so-called a “little ahead” in being westernized than the other India cities. But this first world entertainment form of Cabaret was used to be performed in only three cities in India. One of the three cities was none but Dehradun, besides Delhi and Mumbai, which is rather believed to be too culturally acquired with the old Indian Tradition and customs. And the irony is all these regionally distinct cultures definitely does not have a place for this not-so-safe-for-kids act.

But the Cabaret was candidly used to be performed in the city of Dehradun in the first half of the twentieth century. At the time of world wars when the Indian Royals and European people (mostly Army men) who could not visit Europe for fun at those times and instead chose to party at the hills of Mussoorie. The Cabaret was used to be performed till 1960s after when Government of India intervened in the issue and banned the act. This entertain was prevalent in Delhi and specially Missouri as the hill town adds more beauty to the art-form contemporary to the jazz culture in Mumbai. Dehradun was the first city to invite cabaret in India. 

Although the tradition of hill-top partying in mid twentieth century was not only restricted to 
the live music, ball room dances and bold entertaining acts but also the auctioning of kisses, ranging from 5rs to 300rs (at the time of mid nineties), and the risque affairs were also common in the city. In fact there was a place called Scandal Point" in Massoorie about which the author/photographer Ganesh Saili describes for the "husbands who wanted to avoid their wives and wives who wanted to avoid their husbands" recalling the cabarets at The Savoy and Hakmans. Because of all this first world scenes, Mussoorie was well referred as the "pleasure capital of the Raj" and a "carefree station away from officialdom" where royals and soldiers could chill and get loose and even women had their share of fun.