Red, not just a light

Feminism as a topic has attracted a lot of attention worldwide. It has been discussed and ignored, acknowledged and rejected, felt for and loathed, nodded at and had raised eyebrows, understood and not. 

Either way, it has not left anyone oblivious to it. It was another attempt on 28 May by ‘feminists’ to bring forward an issue that is most evident yet under the veil: prostitution.     

Sex workers in Kamathipura, Mumbai’s red light district was the topic of discussion at the Oxford Bookstore.

 The store in association with Apne Aap Women Worldwide conducted the event titled - Feminism Beyond Boundaries with a discussion on ‘In between: Encounters with Gender and Sexuality’ by Chinki Sinha. 

With her was Ruchira Gupta, President, Apne Aap Women Worldwide, holding the dais. Prostitution, they think is an absence of choice. 

Sinha had come forward to share her experiences of Gali Number 14 of Kamathipura. The gali which is a home and a workplace for eunuchs was of particular interest to Sinha. 

She talked at length of how various men climbed the stairs of these chawls for various kinds of sex. 

Sharing an insight into the life of one of them, Sinha read out an excerpt of her work. ‘Puja closes her eyes when she lies down. Never look them in the eye’, she insists. ‘All of them are the same,’ she explains, as she waits for someone to pick her up that afternoon.