Enhancement in the quality of life and stringent laws against gender crimes have failed to improve the lot of sex workers. It’s about time to legalise the profession
It is gratifying to find that the Maharashtra Government has decided to give free rations to sex workers during the pandemic. This section of the society is in a way unjustifiably ostracised and viewed with contempt. Hardly a day passes when the media does not report one rape case or another; yet few Indians, social scientists included, see a connection between frequent gender crimes and their alleviation, paid sex, but rather view it as a crime. With continual urbanisation, the number of families living apart must increase. When most people lived in villages or small towns, families lived together. With joint families, the young man’s income was not a pressing, urgent issue. Hence early marriages were more a rule and less an exception. The challenge of sex did not normally arise. Whatever few sex offences took place, were committed largely by perverse men.
Even in those easier times, the contempt towards sex outside marriage was largely confined to the middle classes. Among the upper rungs of society, whether land-based or industry supported, having a mistress was not looked down upon. On the contrary, a wealthy man without a tawaif was not usual. In many a society circle in Mumbai before Independence, the measure of a man’s status was the quality of his mistress’ singing and, possibly, dancing. A cousin of the writer’s grandfather Nathubhai Vora lived most of his life with a lady no less than the famous classical songstress Kesarbai Kelkar, who was a Padma Vibhushan awardee. An incidental blessing was that he was not married. If any relatives dropped in to call on him, Kesarbai would be around like any other friend.
On the other hand, the working classes did not particularly attach any stigma to extramarital sex. If the farm could not sustain the livehood of a man, he had to go to a city for work. Not everyone could afford housing or even a room for his family there. The result was that he lived alone months on end. He then found release by payment which was altogether preferable to molestation or rape. This crime is only now being looked at as dastardly, especially since the Nirbhaya tragedy. Some have called it beastly, but the writer disagrees. Animals or beasts do not rape; the male follows a female when she is in heat and not otherwise. Whether perpetrated in public or within family, rape is a barbaric act.
On the other hand, the world’s oldest profession is not fundamentally very different from a contractual — as distinct from a sacramental — marriage. Only the time span varies; some contracts require payment, called mehr, at the time of wedding. An eligible groom is universally an income drawing man. A marriage is sanctified by either a priest or a Government official whereas paid sex is a private mutual arrangement. At the same time, having a tawaif was not looked down upon, whereas anything confined to a short duration is deemed immoral.
Although one appears to not have questioned the Shia practice of nikah-e-mut’ah, which has no minimum time limit. Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan, who in pre-Independence days was the divan of the Kota princely state, was invited with his wife to a special birthday party of the Maharaja. As he did not wish his wife to be seen in public, he contracted a nikah-e-mut’ah with a lady apparently for going to the party. The Raja subsequently became an envoy of Pakistan to India. Sir Vidia Naipaul, a Nobel Prize winning author, is reported to have been visiting sex workers in London as reported by his biographer Patrick French, a famous writer. This was despite him being married to Lady Patricia until her death.
The Vaishali-born Amrapali was beautiful and rose to become the nagarvadhu or royal courtesan. She was a contemporary of Lord Buddha who, once in response to her invitation, visited her house and dined with her. This incident reflects the social attitude towards courtesans in those times; Buddha did not deem it degrading to dine with one. In any case, a number of Hindu temples did have devadasis who were sanctified by dancing for the ostensible entertainment of the deities. There are camp followers attached to most militaries, duly approved by the defence authorities.
The contempt perhaps developed after the entry of Christian influence in India. The religion looks upon sex as a sin and is to be avoided. Jesus Christ was therefore said to have been born of Immaculate Conception, free from original sin. The Church might be justified in its contention but if it has moulded our morality, it is unfortunate, especially for women in India. This has been unfortunate for both the girls who are victims of molestation as well as the poor women who give pleasure for payment. Incidentally, at one time, Europe did recognise flawed saints. Mary Magdalene was one duly respected by Christianity. Or did the prejudice grow out of dread of contagious diseases?
No doubt, a system of licence should be introduced to give the profession due legitimacy. More importantly, the system would help protect the health of these women as well as their patrons. And, above all, the women would be freed from the frequent harassment they suffer at the hands of the law and order authorities. Strangely enough, it is invariably the women who are arrested and punished. One never hears of any patron being arrested. Why? Because if any law is violated, both parties must be held accountable. For long years there has been a locality in Kolkata, off the main arterial road Chittaranjan Avenue, called Sonagachi. There are many houses there that are rented by individual women professionals. There is no particular stigma attached to the locality or the practice. One does not hear or read in the papers about raids and arrests made in the area.
This writer grew up in Kolkata and spent 38 years there. He cannot remember any reports of either rape or molestation during those decades. Among the middle classes, there was respect for females. The most affectionate way to address one, even a daughter, was to call her ‘Maa’. Was it because most Hindus worshipped Durga the most? In all, there are 13 Devi pujas in the year. Was the attitude towards women influenced by this worship of female deities? Some sociologists think so. There is no doubt that Hinduism is about the only faith which bows to so many female deities. It is eminently shameful, therefore, that there be so many rape cases so often.
Paid sex has widely been called the world’s oldest profession, which means it dates back centuries when collective human living began. It also means that there has been a universal, permanent need for it. Why the widespread contempt for it then? Amazingly, there has been no attempt in India to reform or reorganise in any way to improve its condition. After all, an overwhelming majority of women go into this profession out of sheer poverty. Where is our social conscience? Why not begin by giving it professional legal recognition and then making rules to ensure health, hygiene and fairness? A number of countries in Europe did so years ago.
(The writer is a well-known columnist and an author. The views expressed are personal.)