The ambiance of a booze shop is not too big a deal for many people. Even so, as India changes slowly but surely, our booze shops are upgrading too.
A big change came when privately run liquor stores came up in New Delhi a few years back. Government liquor shops didn’t have any incentive to look presentable or provide good service. So you had warm beer. Plus brand selection was dreadful. Kingfisher? No. Sorry. Only “Naked Pelican” available. Why? I don’t know. Maybe the Excise department had a good deal with the owners of “Naked Pelican.” You want? Move aside…there a lots of people beating on the iron cages.
And then there were delightfully employee friendly shop timings. Every third day was a dry day (the number of “dry” days has been brought down but its still ridiculously high). New Delhi government booze employees would have agreed that India was a welfare state.
Things have changed in New Delhi but it doesn’t compare with Haryana at all. Booze shops remain open all the time. All round the year. Bless privatization, profit incentives, “commercialization” and capitalism.
Look at a smart looking liquor store near home…Are we still in India?
Drink a River at Volga!
Volga is a venerable bar in Inner Circle, B-Block, Connaught Place in New Delhi.
Its a great place to have chilled beer or whisky (why drink anything else?) in an air conditioned Art Deco environment. The world may have changed but Volga remains stubbornly the same. This is reassuring, especially, if you’ve not had a good week, month or even a year. Or years for that matter.
Age apart, Volga is certainly not shabby and the interiors are in good condition (check out the ceiling). In fact, Volga looks straight out of a 1960s movie set. Helen would not feel out of place if she did a number here in one of her signature garish gowns set to some vulgar filmi music. Alas, there are no exposed midriffs and “you are my majnu” looks to be had here. Far from it. There is absolutely no entertainment at Volga. Kids, they don’t even play “Summer of 1969″ here, so stay away. You may possibly hear some synthesized “Mughlai” music if you know what I mean. “Drinking” is considered serious business at Volga. You may might as well call alcohol “Daaru” here.
Service is good though. The waiters are experienced old timers and you know they are sizing you up as soon as you step in. There is none of that chirpy “May I help you!?”, Hundreds of Buttons on my shirt or “Ring the Bell if you had a good time!” kind of stuff going on. But still, there is a kind of relaxed efficiency that makes you feel that you are in safe hands.
The best time to visit Volga is in the afternoon on a holiday (magazine in hand) when it’s nice and peaceful. In the evenings it can be quite busy with Men everywhere. If its a female then its probably a tourist. There is a “family section” upstairs which just has to be the perfect place a typical drunk forces his wife to go, as part of a quid pro quo deal after a Hindi movie, perhaps. Actually, the concept of a “family section” at Volga is so oxymoronic that drinking there has become one of my 1000-things-to-do-before-I-die.
The biggest draw of Volga is undoubtedly its Value for Money. Volga’s prices are simply rock bottom in an shopping district that has got one of the highest rentals in India* . Volga is the place to go when you’re with the guys or are saving up money for the next trip to TGIF with the girls.
Sidharth’s Rating 3.0/5.0
“Nostalgia” boost of 0.5 means I give it a final score of 3.5/5.0
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* You can probably bet that Volga is a rented establishment protected from ruinous Connaught place rentals by the Delhi Rent Control Act. Hence the low prices there. God bless Socialism.