Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area (Review)

Urstruly,

Really. You have a way of reducing complex issues to rather simplistic notions. I know its much more ambigiuous and threatening to think outside of the box, but for the sake of your intellectual and spiritual progress and our tempers, please try.

I will start quoting Jonathan Rabin`s article if you don`t.

#: 9

veeresh

It has been over 20 years since I kind of did march the light fantastique in and around assorted red light areas in Bombay (Grant Road area), Calcutta (KPD Area), Madras (unknown rickshaw puller type locations), Goa (Baina Beach), Tuticorin (Fert Co. Colony), Mangalore (even went and saw Sholay with a tart there!!). Let me write out of memory . .



VEERESH SAILOR

DELHI CATERS TO WORKING WOMEN AS WELL AS MEN.IN COUNTRIES WHERE SEX WORKERS ARE AS ACCEPTABLE AS IN INDIA THERE IS NO PROTEST AGAINST THE TRADE BUT INHUMAN CONDITION OF THE WORKERS ONLY





CAPITAL TALE: SEX IS ONLY A CLICK AWAY



FROM RASHEED KIDWAI



New Delhi, Feb. 17:

The government may still be weighing the pros and cons of legalising prostitution but the multi-crore sex industry in the capital has gone hi-tech: it is offering a range of online services.

Sample these:

Best escorts services in Delhi now — We are one of the best in Delhi in provide escorts services males/females and couples at reasonable charges from Rs 3,000 to 15,000 depending upon categories you need and for how much time you need. We have models and other kinds. Time wasters please excuse. If u r budget less then 3,000 do not e-mail. We are one of the best. E-mail at escorts_4uin (Sun Jan 27 2002) Rating:3.38

Escort available now — We provide female escorts for visiting business man in Delhi. Also available male escorts for rich ladies, bored housewives, airhostesses, college and schoolgirls. Contact through e-mail — rashm13 (Sun Jan 20 2002)

Escorts available in Delhi now — Male and female escorts available in Delhi — for daytime — night time — or weekend fun and frolics. Rates very reasonable — male escorts may even be free — the cost is some hot and juicy sessions of physical intimacy. Contact prads31 (Fri Jan 18 2002) Rating: 8.00

Online sex is available in various forms in the capital catering to almost all types of tastes. An address in Delhi’s sex guide even has an invitation for lesbians and homosexuals.

Looking for Lesbian Friends — I am a 21 year old girl. Developed interest in Lesbianism. Only ladies interested in Lesbian friendship and erotic story/e-mail exchanges. Please write to me in confidence. (Wed Jan 02 2002) Rating:4.33.

There are numerous addresses offering “body to body” massage by male to female and vice-versa. For more adventurous people, the masseurs are even willing to perform “all jobs”, of course, at a price.

The Internet has also reached Delhi’s traditional red light area, GB Road. According to Khairati Lal Bhola, who runs an NGO for sex workers, some influential pimps have got together to lure customers who are too scared to visit brothels over the Internet.

The modus operandi is to first get a customer through e-mail and then switch over to the mobile phone. Once both sides agree on a price, the girl from the red light area is sent to the client’s home or a hotel. “Everyone gets a cut in it,” says Bhola.

E-sex providers deny they are providing girls from old red light areas of Delhi. They claim that a lot of young and college girls were approaching them for “good-time easy money”. Some e-mails mention names of upmarket girls’ colleges.

A message from a “fashion photographer” claims to “arrange” television actresses and guys who can do “bi-stuff”. The rates are listed as Rs 3,500 plus, with an assurance that it would be worth the price. The contact is delhifun.

typo:

``and irrationally stigmatised?`` should be ``and not be irrationally stigmatised.``

Roohi,

Welcome to Chowk! I liked your A-Z list on another board. As Stuka pointed out, it was excellent. And yummy.

i saw an interview with ruchira gupta of apne aap on a PBS show (adventure divas - india) she is one amazing woman - read the transcript here

http://www.pbs.org/adventuredivas/india/divas/index.html

and read about her group here

http://www.apne-aap.org/

wish more people were as brave and willing to make a difference as ruchira

It has been over 20 years since I kind of did march the light fantastique in and around assorted red light areas in Bombay (Grant Road area), Calcutta (KPD Area), Madras (unknown rickshaw puller type locations), Goa (Baina Beach), Tuticorin (Fert Co. Colony), Mangalore (even went and saw Sholay with a tart there!!). Let me write out of memory . . .

In India, the eunuchs were and are a fairly important part of the dynamics in any red light area. The eunuchs are getting politically powerful too; they seem to win local elections wherever they stand, regardless of the party that gives them a ticket. Eunuchs are considered to be comparatively honest, as they have no dynastic ambitions. I think there are half-a-dozen MLAs and many more municipal level elected eunuchs. This seems to be a democratic trend, witness the prostitutes standing for and winning elections in France, Italy and elsewhere.

The linkage between men of power and prostitutes exists here too. Witness page-3 in many Indian newspapers city editions . . .

I don`t think there are too many ``dancing / mujra`` establishments anymore . . . though there are plenty of ``western Dancing schools`` which serve the purpose of flesh pressing flesh.

The linkage between pimp and prostitute was something I never understood. I knew a few people from the Merchant Navy who fell in love and married women from the Red Light areas . . . and I know some of them actually paid to ``buy`` them back. These marriages, of the three I am in touch with, have survived and are actually fairly well enmeshed in society now.

Iranians/Arabs used to often land up in Bombay and ``marry`` these women. Monthly pocket money without expectations of fidelity either way.

And of course, without fail, most tarts would carry every religion on display in their cubicles and caste, religion no bar . . . I wonder, do the Kanjars in Pakistan also cross religious barriers?

Soundmeister,

I think you bring up some relevant issues; when did dance and music disappear from famillies, local communities, etc? Theres an interesting article on the Samar website (www.samar.com) that looks at Pakistani dance and identity from the viewpoints of dancers/artists and that situation had been fraught with difficulty.

Secondly, why are the arts marginalized? What is the traditional connection between dance/music and courtesanry? Is this connection still relevant/valid?

Thirdly, the issues of sex workers.

South Asia has notorious prostitution rings reaching throughout India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal; an alarming number of these workers have been kidnapped and forced into this field. A few women organizations have been responding to the abduction and exploitation of these women.

However, in an ideal society, why isn`t this field of work treated as a legitimate profession? Now I know that there are people who can`t think past the ``toba toba sharam ki baath hai`` aspect, but lets not delude ourselves: 1. there is obviously a demand for sex workers because they exist, I assume, in every country and not just the Shaitani West. 2. Shouldn`t sex workers be treated as workers in any legitimate field, with incomes, benefits, protection, regulation, and irrationally stigmatised?

Hamid Sahib,

I agree with sm, please continue to post on chowk; time and argentina permitting!

hamidm

``saab, kiya houri hai - kakoo kola peeti hai toh galey mein say nazar ata hai`` ......

Are you talking about the one with light moustaches and heavy eyebrows or the one with light eyebrows and heavy moustaches?

There is a naivete to this is review which is both refreshing and irritating.

I was drawn to reading the review because of the association of ``music and dancing with prostitution in our society``. While the term ``nacchne-gaanewalee`` does definitely have connotations in that direction, it`s a pity if this perception of the arts as socially unacceptable still remains. I`ve read somewhere that Islam frowns upon music. Which is a tragedy, if it`s true.

Also what I found amusing is that fact that the reviewer finds it surprising that the author (a social activist, one gathers) is ``unjudgmental`` in her opinions of the world;s oldest porfessional. Smacks of immaturity, IMHO. Aren`t we beyond such blanket labelling? Prostitues are bad, labourers are good, that kinda thing. Apparently not...

Reply hamidm #5:

You ought to interact more often....btw: it was your fwded posts that first led me to explore chowk with more interest :)))

..... it is a shame that i don`t have the time to speak for the only honorable people in pakistan - those, who for ages have have plied the tabla, harmonium and gungroos with pride and malice towards none .... these joyful, yet pitiful people have always brought joy and solace to the zamindar, the technocrat and the day-laborer ... in return they have received nothing but scorn, loathing and contempt from the faithful hypocrites ...... the proud kanjars have always been closer to my heart than the syeds, sheikhs and arains .........i am sure when i get up there my friend bashira will be waiting with garlands of sweet smelling motia and roses, `` saab, kiya houri hai - kakoo kola peeti hai toh galey mein say nazar ata hai`` ......

``This discussion is presented as a session of self-realization where a young girl from the ‘normal’ part of the society talks to a girl of the Mohalla and through their exchange of ideas they come to conclusions about their similarities and how they are part of a bigger system and have almost similar roles to play. This session is very enlightening and makes one think about how things are for the women in our country.``

It would have been powerful to have had a sample of this conversation...



Dear Author,

Thank you for such an relevant and informative review; will be looking for this work. Also looking forward to more of your articles on Chowk.

regards

I fail to see how Taboo is a women issues .I think it is social issue .Its society issues just like Casteism eventhough it may affect a womans choice of her husband ,is NOT considered womans issue but society or religion or cultures drawbacks.

If dancing & singing was a taboo Nurjehan And Kirmani & Siddiqui in classical kathak danceses would not be respectable BUT THEY ARE !

Raza Latif,

Thanks for introducing us to the work of Dr. Fouzia Saeed here on CHOWK. This is one topic that needs much more scrutiny in Pakistan, that
of exploitation of both female and males in the sex industry, their lives and the how and why?

Urstruly Sahib,
hamidm is in a class and a biradari all his own here on CHOWK. The rest us us can only aspire to
match his wit and talent here on this forum (from
either side of the India-Pakistan border or the LOC).

Ras

hamidm must be overjoyed. Finally someone has written about (the plight of) his biradri.