Braving the entertainment tax imposed by the State Government, the new-found pool culture has found its way to this historic city. Evidence of the new wave comes in the form of the four pool parlours that are already going great guns and the other five that are set to take off.

Even though it indicates nothing in particular, Ahmednagar's very first pool parlour is named `Chaos: The Cool Pool Zone'. Located in Kotla area, Chaos has already become a hub of activity for the army officers, with charges of Rs 80 per hour per table for a team of two or four players.

Chaos, says owner Vikram Barnabas, has been built on the lines of its big brothers in metros like Mumbai and Pune. Unlike the big city experience, however, Barnabas reports that this pool parlour has a much larger clientele from among army officers and the middle-aged citizens than from the student population of the city.

Ishwar Bora, an engineering student, spends his evenings at the pool parlour, preferring pool over billiards. He explains that pool is much easier owing to the shorter tables. Another pool buff Kiran Sanklecha adds that he likes to hang around the pool parlours with his friends since the sport is ``Indeed, a lot of fun.''

Vinod Chandwani, a regular at the Zig Zag Pool parlour, visits pool parlours to relax after a hard day of studying. ``A good game combined with fabulous music makes a great combination,'' he says.

Pool games are a part and parcel of the changing times, the new lifestyles and the ways to making a fast buck, says Eric Nazir. A few Nagarites, on the other hand are viewing the parlours as invasions on the Indian culture.

Nevertheless, the city's pools owners have successfully stopped the outflow of pool fans from Ahmednagar to Pune.

Barnabas is against the entertainment tax. A major portion of his income would be taken away by the government, he complains, after having invested close to Rs 2.5 lakhs for his pool parlour. Sumit Karnavat, a partner at Zig Zag adds that even though he is less worried, he would rather not have any taxes imposed on his pool parlour.

Zig-Zag and Pool Zone are the other top ranked pool parlours in Ahmednagar to have made available meaningful recreational options for the youngsters as well as the business communities.

Open till well past midnight, the parlours also stock cold drinks and cigarettes for their patrons. The general notion, however, is that the pool parlours here will soon be going the way of their counterparts in Pune and Mumbai and start entertaining their clients on a larger scale as the competition increases.

Meanwhile, the district collectorate officials here claim ignorance about the entertainment tax on Ahmednagar pools. No directions have reached them from the government as yet.

And that, ultimately, may prove to be the deciding factor in the future of Nagar's new found way to stay cool!