Sunday, November 26, 2006
Prostitution the oldest profession
I was reading an article on massage parlor and massaging service business booming in Hyderabad. I remembered my last visit to Delhi some six months ego, the discussion I had with a friend there on the subject. He was showing me the mushrooming of ads in newspapers on the massage services provided. Incidentally since last couple of years, my association with an NGO working for HIV infected/affected people gave me some insight on the lives of the people engaged in flesh trade. This NGO organizes camps for AIDS awareness, rights of the people engaged in the profession etc. The team consists of young girl counselors, one or two technicians. My contribution is figurative, more of a quartermaster, as I cannot converse in local language. But I get the respect of my age and invariably addressed as ‘Pedda sir’. I discussed the issues related with the counselors who have much deeper understanding. I am presenting the analysis interlaced with my own literary contribution to make it lucid.
Let me start with my first encounter with the people engaged in the profession. I think it was 1970 or 71. In West Bengal, the mass copying was in its highest stage in Board examination. I was reasonably good at Maths and used to be invited as expert for solving maths questions during examination. Let me give you a brief idea of the modus operandi. The question paper used to be leaked out of an examination hall and people like us would sit somewhere nearby and solve the questions. The task was not so simple. The questions had to be solved, passed on inside and to be copied by the examinees within the prescribed time. So normally I used to solve problems one in a single page, one at a time, pass on to copiers, who will make multiple copies and then send those copies to the examinees, and all the process needed to be completed within the prescribed three hours. Now on that particular day I was at Naihati, some 35 odd kms from Kolkata (incidentally birth place of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the writer of Bande Mataram song) helping out some friends. I was sitting at roadside near the school and was busy in solving questions. Suddenly I heard, ‘Pala, Pala – run , run, police is coming’. Before I could realize anything I was physically carried away by a few strong boys and found myself dumped in a room nearby. Time is very precious; hence I became busy in solving the paper. After completing the last question, I found myself alone sitting in an unfamiliar room; the rest of the people vanished leaving me. (Anyway my utility was over for at least one year, and who thinks for the next year). I came out of the room and found the surroundings different. It was like a chawl, Doors all around a courtyard. I found women of different ages, different sizes, in different stages of clothing. I got to my senses by a few giggles, realized the situation and made a hasty retreat keeping my honor intact.
During mid eighties I used to visit Cochin regularly. There was a train from Hydeabad to Madras, in which they used to attach a bogie for Cochin. The train used to reach Madras early morning and the Cochin bogie was attached with Cochin express, which used to leave in the evening. One had to spend the day in Madras. Invariable I used to take a nearby lodge for spending the day. Every time, early in the morning, while I used to go around searching for lodging, without fail I used to be approached by rickshaw pullers offering the services of college girls. Initially once or twice I felt indignant, not for offering the services, but for offering at such an ungodly hour. But once it became a routine, I started to grow doubt. Did my face give an impression of a sex-starved maniac? I was so disturbed that I could not discuss this matter with anybody except searching in mirror for any sign. Luckily for me once one of my colleagues, who was the other person covering the same route in similar fashion, disclosed me his predicaments. I got relieved. Thank GOD I am not the only one!
I will talk about another incident.
A couple years back, I was walking down Juhu main road for a luncheon meeting with someone. As I was crossing the house of Film maker B.R.Chopra’s house, I was approached by an auto from behind. Initially, I thought the lady sitting inside approached me asking for some address, but a look at her face and the inviting smile revealed her profession. But now I am a hardened middle-aged person, hence without cringing I could smile her away.
Most of you must be wondering what is the fun of narrating these old stories. Well as we are going to attend a serious issue, I wanted to build up a conducive atmosphere for that.
Most of us Indians are a bit romantic about this profession due to influence of Hindi Films, where invariably they are portrayed as people forced in the profession, kind hearted people dying for the elusive love etc. etc.
Historically Hindu mythology does not have anything against this profession. Rather the depiction of the character of Basantasena (played by Rekha) in the film Utsav eulogizes the profession, showing they were accepted by the society. I don’t know the authenticity of the story, but remember the character Vasantasena from some other story of the same era. Hence I can safely say that they were accepted in ancient Indian society.
Modern day prostitution can go back to the Devadasi system of South India, Baijees of North India. We find the profession was established around temple towns and near Palaces. In Kolkata, main areas are around old Kolkata, where the erstwhile Zamindars resided, in every case the profession was patronized by the high-class society, rich and the aristocracy.
Now what is wrong with the profession? In my mind; nothing. My personal opinion goes something like this; every individual utilizes some of part of his/her body or skill for profession. Then what is wrong if someone is utilizing his/her body for profession?
We are told by books and films that the profession is a family wrecker. I have serious doubt about that. The person, here invariably a man, who wrecks his family due to his addiction to prostitution should be a weak person and will wreck his family anyway by some other method. Now I am treading a dangerous area (which may hackle some provincial ego) but stating it knowing fully well. In and around Hyderabad, it’s very common to hear about people maintaining ‘chinna house’ (the other woman). I think now it’s not anymore secret with the media creating a circus over the Hyderabadi Engineer killed at Afghanistan. Hence putting the tag of family wreckers on the prostitution is gross injustice.
Some may say it is against female gender, as in most of the cases, they are the people at the wrong end of the system, forced in the profession by their relatives, by the circumstances. In my early days I have witnessed women from labor class (otherwise simple decent women) engaged themselves clandestinely in the profession willingly as the only mean of sustaining their families (when the male workers rendered jobless due to prolonged strike in factories). It was a serious social problem but mainly overlooked by the society, as everybody understood the compulsions.
I personally feel that Prostitution should be legalized. This will definitely solve a no. of social evils.
1) Once legalized, the people involved will be free from police harassment and shall get a little more dignity, which they really deserve.
2) The legalization process also should make it compulsory for regular medical check up, which will not only help them but also will help the society in curbing the spread of VD and AIDS. They can avail the social securities like insurance. Today the biggest problem any person engaged in the profession faces is that of their future. Invariably they languish in their old age, neglected by everyone.
3) Legalization process should include stringent punishment for ancillary industries connected like forcible induction. Any person should have the right to choose his/her profession, but forcing him/her should be considered a serious offence. Minimum punishment for forcible induction should not be less than life imprisonment.
4) The people who visit them for whatever the reasons, (there may be some good reasons also-Unmarried/single persons have every right to satisfy their sexual desire) will be able to do that without sense of guilt and hence will reduce the instances of rape and extra marital affairs (doubtful about the extent, but definitely there will be some impact).
5) There will be some decorum in advertising/soliciting. (On my last visit to Bangalore on 2nd November, I have seen them standing in the subway near the Bangalore city Railway station at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Definitely not a pleasant scene for regular passengers with family)
6) It will reduce the spread of prostitution from un-conventional areas.
Let me delve on the last point more seriously. Actually the main idea of the present blog is to address this issue.
It’s not a new phenomenon. When I was staying in Delhi during 1976-78, I used to hear high society call girl racket involving students from good colleges as famous as Lady Sriram College. Let me clarify, it’s only rumor I heard, so ex-students, don’t jump on me. If wrong, I stay corrected.
Today in Hyderabad, we find regular newspaper headline of raids in various localities, as posh as Banjara Hills, as prude as Marredpally. This is a dangerous trend. The profession is no more practiced by people who are forced to do due to poverty or not finding or not fit for any other alternatives. It has become as easy source of income for anybody. There is rumor about escort system. Girls from good families are sucked into the profession due to lure of easy money, to sustain their expensive lifestyle.
The trend is flourishing by the foolish assumption of a section of patrons, who feel that the highly paid call girls are safer than their cheap counterparts.
There is an urgent need for addressing this serious problem. And legalizing the profession will help this problem. The law should have stiff penalties for illegal prostitution, acting as deterrent for nimble budding entrants. There can be provision of one time exception keeping the vulnerability of young people in mind, who should get at least one chance to reform themselves.
But as I stated earlier in my blog ‘Child labor and the law’, do the people involved in enactment and enforcement of law have the guts to look the problem at its eye and address it? Doubtful. Most of the people involved in this high-class call girl racket as patrons belonging to this society.
Let me start with my first encounter with the people engaged in the profession. I think it was 1970 or 71. In West Bengal, the mass copying was in its highest stage in Board examination. I was reasonably good at Maths and used to be invited as expert for solving maths questions during examination. Let me give you a brief idea of the modus operandi. The question paper used to be leaked out of an examination hall and people like us would sit somewhere nearby and solve the questions. The task was not so simple. The questions had to be solved, passed on inside and to be copied by the examinees within the prescribed time. So normally I used to solve problems one in a single page, one at a time, pass on to copiers, who will make multiple copies and then send those copies to the examinees, and all the process needed to be completed within the prescribed three hours. Now on that particular day I was at Naihati, some 35 odd kms from Kolkata (incidentally birth place of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the writer of Bande Mataram song) helping out some friends. I was sitting at roadside near the school and was busy in solving questions. Suddenly I heard, ‘Pala, Pala – run , run, police is coming’. Before I could realize anything I was physically carried away by a few strong boys and found myself dumped in a room nearby. Time is very precious; hence I became busy in solving the paper. After completing the last question, I found myself alone sitting in an unfamiliar room; the rest of the people vanished leaving me. (Anyway my utility was over for at least one year, and who thinks for the next year). I came out of the room and found the surroundings different. It was like a chawl, Doors all around a courtyard. I found women of different ages, different sizes, in different stages of clothing. I got to my senses by a few giggles, realized the situation and made a hasty retreat keeping my honor intact.
During mid eighties I used to visit Cochin regularly. There was a train from Hydeabad to Madras, in which they used to attach a bogie for Cochin. The train used to reach Madras early morning and the Cochin bogie was attached with Cochin express, which used to leave in the evening. One had to spend the day in Madras. Invariable I used to take a nearby lodge for spending the day. Every time, early in the morning, while I used to go around searching for lodging, without fail I used to be approached by rickshaw pullers offering the services of college girls. Initially once or twice I felt indignant, not for offering the services, but for offering at such an ungodly hour. But once it became a routine, I started to grow doubt. Did my face give an impression of a sex-starved maniac? I was so disturbed that I could not discuss this matter with anybody except searching in mirror for any sign. Luckily for me once one of my colleagues, who was the other person covering the same route in similar fashion, disclosed me his predicaments. I got relieved. Thank GOD I am not the only one!
I will talk about another incident.
A couple years back, I was walking down Juhu main road for a luncheon meeting with someone. As I was crossing the house of Film maker B.R.Chopra’s house, I was approached by an auto from behind. Initially, I thought the lady sitting inside approached me asking for some address, but a look at her face and the inviting smile revealed her profession. But now I am a hardened middle-aged person, hence without cringing I could smile her away.
Most of you must be wondering what is the fun of narrating these old stories. Well as we are going to attend a serious issue, I wanted to build up a conducive atmosphere for that.
Most of us Indians are a bit romantic about this profession due to influence of Hindi Films, where invariably they are portrayed as people forced in the profession, kind hearted people dying for the elusive love etc. etc.
Historically Hindu mythology does not have anything against this profession. Rather the depiction of the character of Basantasena (played by Rekha) in the film Utsav eulogizes the profession, showing they were accepted by the society. I don’t know the authenticity of the story, but remember the character Vasantasena from some other story of the same era. Hence I can safely say that they were accepted in ancient Indian society.
Modern day prostitution can go back to the Devadasi system of South India, Baijees of North India. We find the profession was established around temple towns and near Palaces. In Kolkata, main areas are around old Kolkata, where the erstwhile Zamindars resided, in every case the profession was patronized by the high-class society, rich and the aristocracy.
Now what is wrong with the profession? In my mind; nothing. My personal opinion goes something like this; every individual utilizes some of part of his/her body or skill for profession. Then what is wrong if someone is utilizing his/her body for profession?
We are told by books and films that the profession is a family wrecker. I have serious doubt about that. The person, here invariably a man, who wrecks his family due to his addiction to prostitution should be a weak person and will wreck his family anyway by some other method. Now I am treading a dangerous area (which may hackle some provincial ego) but stating it knowing fully well. In and around Hyderabad, it’s very common to hear about people maintaining ‘chinna house’ (the other woman). I think now it’s not anymore secret with the media creating a circus over the Hyderabadi Engineer killed at Afghanistan. Hence putting the tag of family wreckers on the prostitution is gross injustice.
Some may say it is against female gender, as in most of the cases, they are the people at the wrong end of the system, forced in the profession by their relatives, by the circumstances. In my early days I have witnessed women from labor class (otherwise simple decent women) engaged themselves clandestinely in the profession willingly as the only mean of sustaining their families (when the male workers rendered jobless due to prolonged strike in factories). It was a serious social problem but mainly overlooked by the society, as everybody understood the compulsions.
I personally feel that Prostitution should be legalized. This will definitely solve a no. of social evils.
1) Once legalized, the people involved will be free from police harassment and shall get a little more dignity, which they really deserve.
2) The legalization process also should make it compulsory for regular medical check up, which will not only help them but also will help the society in curbing the spread of VD and AIDS. They can avail the social securities like insurance. Today the biggest problem any person engaged in the profession faces is that of their future. Invariably they languish in their old age, neglected by everyone.
3) Legalization process should include stringent punishment for ancillary industries connected like forcible induction. Any person should have the right to choose his/her profession, but forcing him/her should be considered a serious offence. Minimum punishment for forcible induction should not be less than life imprisonment.
4) The people who visit them for whatever the reasons, (there may be some good reasons also-Unmarried/single persons have every right to satisfy their sexual desire) will be able to do that without sense of guilt and hence will reduce the instances of rape and extra marital affairs (doubtful about the extent, but definitely there will be some impact).
5) There will be some decorum in advertising/soliciting. (On my last visit to Bangalore on 2nd November, I have seen them standing in the subway near the Bangalore city Railway station at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Definitely not a pleasant scene for regular passengers with family)
6) It will reduce the spread of prostitution from un-conventional areas.
Let me delve on the last point more seriously. Actually the main idea of the present blog is to address this issue.
It’s not a new phenomenon. When I was staying in Delhi during 1976-78, I used to hear high society call girl racket involving students from good colleges as famous as Lady Sriram College. Let me clarify, it’s only rumor I heard, so ex-students, don’t jump on me. If wrong, I stay corrected.
Today in Hyderabad, we find regular newspaper headline of raids in various localities, as posh as Banjara Hills, as prude as Marredpally. This is a dangerous trend. The profession is no more practiced by people who are forced to do due to poverty or not finding or not fit for any other alternatives. It has become as easy source of income for anybody. There is rumor about escort system. Girls from good families are sucked into the profession due to lure of easy money, to sustain their expensive lifestyle.
The trend is flourishing by the foolish assumption of a section of patrons, who feel that the highly paid call girls are safer than their cheap counterparts.
There is an urgent need for addressing this serious problem. And legalizing the profession will help this problem. The law should have stiff penalties for illegal prostitution, acting as deterrent for nimble budding entrants. There can be provision of one time exception keeping the vulnerability of young people in mind, who should get at least one chance to reform themselves.
But as I stated earlier in my blog ‘Child labor and the law’, do the people involved in enactment and enforcement of law have the guts to look the problem at its eye and address it? Doubtful. Most of the people involved in this high-class call girl racket as patrons belonging to this society.
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