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It is uncommon to find a woman in a crisp white saree with a Rupee-sized bindi on her forehead – walking in the streets of a red-light area. But the woman was no ordinary bordello madam either, as she steps out of a Bentely with gold rimmed glasses. She was the Queen of Kamatipura. The story of Gangubai will now come alive on screen helmed by <keyword id="6358308" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Leela-Bhansali">Sanjay Leela Bhansali</keyword> and played by <keyword id="6354526" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="alia-bhatt">Alia Bhatt</keyword> in the upcoming biopic ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’. However, many who knew her would also say that she is not the white knight, as she is a whorehouse madam and did all it takes to keep it running. It is to be seen if these shades would be well-represented in the movie or would be whitewashed to turn her into a Bollywood-style hero. The rakhi sister of Karim Lala A young Ganga from Kathiwad, in the state of Gujarat, hailed from a family of lawyers but was captivated by Mumbai’s movie industry. She ran away with one of her father’s clerks, landed in the city of dreams but eventually, the clerk sold her for ₹500 to the red-light area, Kamatipura. After weeks of crying, the young girl who was aware that she now had nowhere else to go, decided to stay back. Soon, she became one of the most-prized prostitutes known for her gab and her knack of making many Seths open their purse strings. Journalist Hussain Zaidi’s book on <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Mafia-Queens-Mumbai-Hussain-Zaidi-ebook/dp/B008597PL0/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=mafia+queens&amp;qid=1579068298&amp;s=digital-text&amp;sr=1-2">Mafia Queens of Mumbai </a>portrayed Gangubai as a woman of spirit and not a victim of circumstance. When a Pathan raped her brutally leaving her invalid for days, she decided to accost his boss after his Friday prayers. The boss was none other than mafia don Karim Lala. Not only did Lala mercilessly beat up her tormentor but also warned everyone against ill-treating his ‘rakhi sister’. After that, her rise to the top was meteoric as she developed contacts with police and other key people with power. During her reign, the red-light area was one of the most prosperous lanes as it had rich and powerful clients not to mention a steady stream of earnings from the underworld. So much so that Gangu would often wear sarees with golden borders and blouses with golden buttons. ‘Will you make me Mrs Nehru?’ Gangubai evoked so much awe that she became a rare woman to have her statue bust erected in the area. She also advocated the cause of her kind in the society. The plucky woman once took the stage at a woman empowerment summit amidst social workers and NGOs to advocate the need for prostitution belts in cities. Her speech was so widely reported that it won an audience with the Prime Minister. Jawaharlal Nehru was so impressed by her proposal to protect the red-light area that he asked why she ended up in this business when she could have found a nice husband. To this, she quickly asked him if he would marry her. As Nehru was left red-faced she went on to say, “It is very easy to preach but tough to practice.” SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/kamal-haasan-net-worth-and-his-finances-after-2-years-in-politics/articleshow/73290359.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Kamal Haasan's ₹25 crore loan revealed a lot about his finances after nearly 2 years in politics</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/news/pepsi-gets-a-54-year-old-star-salman-khan-to-target-millennials/articleshow/72453762.cms">Pepsi gets a 54-year-old star, Salman Khan to target millennials</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/weekend-collection-report-of-ajay-devgns-tanhaji-and-deepika-padukone-chhapaak-movie/articleshow/73222694.cms">Ajay Devgn’s Tanhaji moves the masses while Chhapaak fails to make a splash</a>

The real story of Gangubai Kathiawadi – the woman who once reprimanded the Prime Minister of India

Dressed in a simple cotton salwar kameez, in the first look she looks simple and uncomplaining. There's nothing flashy about her, but a closer look shows there are a thousand miseries hidden behind Chandrakala's ever-smiling face. 
 
At a young age of 27, she is still battling demons from her dark times. She grew up in Mysore. Her parents died when she was a child. Both she and her sister were raised by her relatives and neighbours. Growing up, all she wanted was to work, get married and have a family of her own. But fate had separate plans for this girl. 
 
An incident onboard Mysore-bound train scarred her for life. She boarded the train to return home after her failed job hunt in Bangalore, but woke up next morning in a strange room, in a strange city, surrounded by people chattering in languages she couldn’t understand, probably Hindi and Marathi. 
 She wasn't aware that she had been trafficked! The strange area she had found herself in was <keyword id="77879" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kamathipura">Kamathipura</keyword> - one of the largest red light districts in India. Chandrakala was first drugged in the Mysore-bound train by a stranger, hauled off to a Mumbai brothel and tortured until she agreed to become a prostitute. Her trafficker was banking on Chandrakala being disoriented and terrified – he knew it would make it tougher for her to escape. 
 
She was trafficked at 20, and for the next five years, men bought and sold Chandrakala’s body on the streets of Kamathipura. At dusk, many like her stood – caked in makeup – on narrow lanes littered with refuse, beckoning hollow-eyed men to follow them into tiny dinghy rooms. 
 
Today, she lives in an NGO - Threads Of Freedom United Home- in Bangalore with other trafficked women like her who were rescued. She would never have been rescued if one of her own customers from Karnataka hadn’t taken pity on her. Perhaps, the fact that they both had the same mother tongue, Kannada, did it. He alerted the police and they raided the brothel. The next few years that she was at government funded centres, she learned tailoring and mat making. But she had no job and little contact with the outside world. Still in her twenties, she began despairing of ever having a normal life. Her family didn't want her and she didn't know what she would do. Death seemed like the only way out till she became a responsibility of the Bangalore NGO. 
 
Her conversation now is peppered with terms she’s recently learned like “self-reliance” and “job security”. Her plans for the future are bound up in these abstract concepts. But ask her how she feels, she puts it simply, “Free”, she says, “Like I’ve been let out of prison.”. 
 It has taken almost a decade, but she finally might have a decent job. A few months ago, she was inducted into <keyword id="6734688" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Milaap">Milaap</keyword>'s 'Threads of Freedom programme'. Milaap is the biggest and therefore, one of the most effective crowd-funding and fund-raising websites in India, from where several heartening stories such as Chandrakala’s have emerged. Her training and reintegration costs around Rs 1,20,000. 
 
Since it will take few months until she is finally on payroll of one of TOFU’s partner garment factories, living expenses for coming few months in addition to the training might cost her up to Rs 1,50,000. Though she will be self-sufficient in 6 months to afford this herself, the beginning is a trouble for her as she struggles for support today. 
 
In time, she also wishes to move out of the NGO and start a life of own. A small house. A kitchen to cook her favourite meal for herself and living the feeling of independence..

The horrifying story of a trafficked girl and
the brave people who saved her

<ul><li>Prabha Desai is the director of Sanmitra Trust, a voluntary trust that works on the ground level in Mumbai's second-largest slum — Malwani. </li><li>In an interview with Business Insider, Desai shed light on how having the right laws in place is an integral step towards fighting stigmas in society and ensuring identity. </li><li>Desai's has been a part of the advocacy to scrap <keyword id="6362797" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="section-377">Section 377</keyword>, fight Mumbai's HIV epidemic, and legalise dance bars in the city. </li></ul>It's not easy to spread hope in Mumbai's second-largest slum, Malwani. But, Prabha Desai is fighting against the stigmas to ensure employability and dignity of labour for women in the colony. On the ground, she works with female and floating sex workers, HIV+ children and women, and transgender individuals within the community. However, as the director of Sanmitra Trust, she's also done a lot of advocacy work — including decriminalising homosexuality by getting Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) scrapped and fighting against the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, which curtails the rights of sex workers in the country. "Final outcome is that we have a more inclusive society and sex is longer stigmatised, at least legally. Socially, it will take some time," Desai told Business Insider in an interview. Getting the law on your side Before 2017, Mumbai was engrossed in a battle against HIV with no laws in place to keep it in check. As an activist, Desai was able to participate in the process of bringing about the HIV Aids Act through a lawyer's collective. With a concrete law in place, she could now work with the police more effectively to remove the taboo around HIV. "Law creates an enabling environment on paper… In the last ten years, we have worked with the police for AIDS control and made them aware that we're not doing illegal things — we're not doing wrong things. First, remove the bias from your mind," she said. Now, every police station in Desai's community cooperates with her, but that's largely thanks to the putting concrete laws in place to strengthen her argument. People have also come to the realisation that the fight against AIDS isn't a one-person task but something for which the community needs to rally together. "Things are moving now. If law is not your side — on the side of these people who are facing discrimination and isolation — then there are so many problems. The biggest obstacles are over," she remarked. Women taking charge Having the right laws in place helps isolated women in society have an identity. Desai has worked with lawyers to legalise dance bars in Mumbai and scrap Section 377 to ensure to create a more inclusive society. "We fought against the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. We participated and demanded that it should be decriminalised and it shouldn't be an offence. Women should not be punished," she said. However, that's only one part of the problem. The second is making sure that these women have other options — a way to participate in the economy and be financially independent, by having access to opportunity. In service of that goal, Desai set up an alternative trade skill training centre. Now, she's in the process of launching her own mega-textile cluster for tannery operations with 500 women on board. Other changes have been happening on the ground as well. Women in Malwani are now looking to drive, have their own bank accounts — and know how to bank online. 52 women from the community got their licences last year, of whom four were HIV+. "In my area, now women wearing a burqa and going on scooty is common, nobody looks at them also," said Desai. There's still a long road ahead to fix all the problems that Malwani faces. The area has its own infrastructural problems — like lack of drainage and sanitation — which makes work twice as hard. But, with the law on their side, Desai feels things are going to improve even faster now.

Fighting AIDS, decriminalising LGBTQ+, and legalising dance bars are only some of the achievements by a woman fighting stereotypes in Mumbai's second-largest slum

Dr <keyword id="215430" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mahinder-Watsa">Mahinder Watsa</keyword> is sort of a celebrity in India. A gynecologist by professional training, this 91-year old (Yes, he was born in 1924!) doctor, residing in Mumbai, is perhaps the custodian of India’s best kept secrets ‘behind closed doors’. In a career spanning over seven decades, he’s spent six of them counseling via his columns, first on women’s reproductive health in women’s magazines such as <keyword id="9540" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="Femina">Femina</keyword> and Flair and then on sexual matters on men’s magazine, Fantasy. It was during his stint as a columnist with Fantasy that he realised the dire straits as far as India’s lack of sexual knowledge was concerned. In 1980, he began his most popular stint, as the columnist of the ‘Ask the <keyword id="1204094" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="sexpert">Sexpert</keyword>’ in Mumbai Mirror, which are a rage today for the witty retorts to some of the ‘weirdest’ sexual problems that people of the country confront him with. But, make no mistake, despite the absurdity of these ‘sexual problems’, he makes it a point to address each one with the utmost seriousness. He says, “It is a problem for someone, which needs a solution. I ensure I provide them with that.” 
 So, at the age of 92, when his first ever book, aptly titled, It’s Normal, which has been published by <keyword id="1734149" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Penguin-Random-House-India">Penguin Random House India</keyword>, is all set to hit the stands, Business Insider caught up with him to ask what <keyword id="6355231" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sex">sex</keyword> really means to India. 
 
Q) You have really been there and seen that. From the India of 1930s to the technology-infested, current face of the country. How has sex changed for the people of this country since then? 
 
It’s great the way technology has flowed into the country via the internet. Internet has not only reached the urban, educated populace, but has touched numerous lives in rural India as well. And that is bound to have brought in significant changes to the way people approach sex today, not only in urban India but also in the rural areas. For example, given the easily available Internet connection, people across the country watch plenty of porn. What was earlier an ‘under the table’, one would get hold of porn cassettes and later DVDs clandestinely to watch them, is today just a click away, even on mobile phones. A recent survey has revealed that as compared to earlier, let’s say in the 1960s, when only 6% of college girls would indulge in pre-marital sex in a place like Pune, today that number has increased by leaps, all across India. Students earlier would have to go to sex workers for a little bit of fun just as their exams got over. In fact, the sex-work business would be at its best, when, for instance, in Pune, college exams would get over. 
 
Q) How do you deal with some of the weirdest, stupidest queries you receive? 
 
I see no question sent to me as stupid. It is a problem that the person has written to me about seeking my guidance and solution, and I ensure I provide that. For instance, a lot of educated people regularly seek counseling on unprotected sex. Now, for an educated person, you know that unprotected sex means you will have babies! In fact, this is a huge part of what I solve throughout my day. 
 
Q) What does a regular day look like for you? 
 
Well, before I became a full-time columnist, I've been a gynecologist and then was with Glaxo overseeing their research and development work. But today, it’s counseling, which occupies most of my day. I answer close to 80 mails a day. What has changed a lot over time, however, is the fact that more people are having more sex these days; pre-marital sex is a standard, rather than an abnormality. Girls and boys hit puberty between 12 and 14 years, and given lifestyle changes these days no one marries before 27. So, what do you do till then. Surely, you can’t turn into a Sadhu! 
 
Q) So, how tough has it been to get Indians talking about sex? 
 
Surprisingly, Indians are far more willing to seek sex counseling than one would be willing to agree to. However, what remains an issue is that a lot of doctors that people approach with their sexual issues are far more caged-up and find it rather difficult to discuss these matters openly. 
 
Q) Really? Aren’t they professionally trained to do so? 
 
Yes. Most doctors are uncomfortable dealing with other’s sexual problems. Most gynecologists today even don’t consult patients properly post delivery about important sexual matters like when one can get back to having sex, or things like till when one can continue having sex when pregnant. In fact, this lack of knowledge, to my mind, is one of the biggest reasons for husbands of pregnant/just-delivered women going astray. In fact, I don’t even know whether sexuality is a valid subject taught anywhere, leave alone medical schools. 
 
Q) In the matter of sexuality, no one ever talks of even women enjoying and wanting to have sex, just the way men perceive it. Has your experience been any different? 
 
Actually, I get a lot of cases where men take their wife’s sexuality and her sexual desires very seriously. I’ve had cases where men have felt a loss of potency, when they have had an ejaculation far sooner than desired. Often, such scenarios have resulted in men staying away from any sexual contact with their wives for a lengthy period of time, fearing their wife’s negative reaction. Men, overall are equally keen to get back into active sexual lives with their wives despite several kids. I often teach them the importance of the four ‘Ts—Trust, Spending time, Touch and Talking—the backbone of any healthy sexual relationship.

India’s favourite Sexpert reveals what the country’s best kept secrets are!

<keyword id="6494550" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dussehra">Dussehra</keyword>, the day when Lord Rama killed <keyword id="42776" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ravana">Ravana</keyword>, commemorates the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=triumph+of+good+over+evil">triumph of good over evil</a>. People celebrate it by burning effigies of ten-head Ravana, symbolizing burning of evil, greed, etc. However, Ravana is still alive today in various forms. Are they not Ravanas who carry out terror attacks, killing innocent people? Are they not Ravanas who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rape">rape</a>? Are they not Ravanas who divide and kill people in the name of religion? They are monsters of the present time and a threat to the mankind. They should be burnt too. 
 
While we burn effigies of Ravana this year to show that good will always prevail over bad, we must also burn effigies of at least ten evils of the society which are listed below: 
 1. <keyword id="6358165" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="terrorism">Terrorism</keyword>: It is a grave issue not only in India but world over. In India, at least 205 of the country’s 640 districts are affected by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=terrorist+">terrorist</a> activities. Terror attacks caused 231 deaths alone in the year 2012 in India, compared to 11,098 terror-caused deaths worldwide, as per report by the State Department of the United States. So burn the effigies of terror groups this Dussehra. 
 2. <keyword id="6416731" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Communalism">Communalism</keyword>: Why do people construct religious or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ethnic+identity">ethnic identity</a>? Is there any benefit of inciting strife between people of different communities and stimulate communal violence. Why to kill people in the name of religion when it is written nowhere in any religious book to do so. Let’s burn it forever and be united in all odds. 
 3. <keyword id="39493" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rape">Rape</keyword>: Recently, we were shocked by a spate of rape cases involving young children, one was about 2-year-old and the other was 5-year-old. It has been reported that the number of rape cases in India have been steadily rising over the past decade. This is because more women are coming out to report such incidents, which is a good sign. But why is it happening? Kill it! Burn it! 
 4. <keyword id="84827" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Road-rage">Road rage</keyword>: It can lead to altercations, assaults, and collisions that result into injuries and even deaths. According to a survey by the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Delhi+Traffic+Police">Delhi Traffic Police</a>, the city witnessed a rise in such cases because of the “worsening behaviour” of motorists. It says aggressive driving accounted for 25% of such cases, while continuous flashing of headlights accounted for 27%, persistent honking 25% and verbal insults and rude gestures accounted for 23%. Why are we losing our cool? It is time to think. 
 
5. Female foeticide: According to the 2011 census, the sex ratio in the 0 to 6 age group has increased from 102.4 males per 100 females in 1961, to 104.2 in 1980, to 107.5 in 2001, to 108.9 in 2011. However, it is within the normal range in eastern and southern Indian states, but significantly higher in Punjab, Haryana and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Jammu+%26+Kashmir">Jammu &amp; Kashmir</a>. It is crime to kill a female foetus, however it is continuing. 
 
6. Drug addiction: Around 2 million people use opiates drug and 62.6 million are alcohol users in India, according to a survey in 2004. The number of incidents of drug abuse among children is on rise. It goes beyond alcohol and tobacco, and often also involves <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cocaine%2C+heroin+and+opium">cocaine, heroin and opium</a>. According to a 2012 survey by the government, boys aged between 15-19, shows that a shocking 28.6% reported tobacco use and 15% were addicted to alcohol. Girls aged 15-19 showed 5.5% used tobacco while 4% were addicted to alcohol. This is alarming! 
 
7. Domestic violence: Domestic abuse includes physical, emotional and sexual violence of any form. According to a National Family and Health survey in 2005, total lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 33.5% and 8.5% for sexual violence among women aged 15-49. The instance of violence was reported to be lowest among Buddhist and Jain women, while highest among Muslim women in India. 
 8. <keyword id="6357490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Human-trafficking">Human trafficking</keyword>: People are being illegally trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour. Various NGOs estimate this problem affects 20 to 65 million Indians. Girls are trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriages, especially in areas where the sex ratio is low. Children are subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and also used as armed combatants by terrorist and insurgent groups. 
 9. Prostitution: Mumbai and <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword> have the country's largest brothel based sex industry, with over 100,000 sex workers in Mumbai alone. The Indian law bans the acts of trafficking, procuring, detaining, pimping, lending a premise for carrying on prostitution for running a brothel. However, the law aims to punish the exploiters such as madams, pimps, traffickers, customers, and other partners aiding the exploitative sex trade but not the prostitute. 
 
10. Casteism: A lot of problems in India can be attributed to casteism. Discrimination on the grounds of caste has led to social tremors and stealing someone's rights in a secular country like India. It affects the society by making people more exposed to prejudice, stereotyping and other things. These differences in rankings often cause disputes within the society. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

You Searched For "sex workers mumbai" and got 6 results

The real story of Gangubai Kathiawadi – the woman who once reprimanded the Prime Minister of India

Katya Naidu

The horrifying story of a trafficked girl and the brave people who saved her

Anushree Singh

Fighting AIDS, decriminalising LGBTQ+, and legalising dance bars are only some of the achievements by a woman fighting stereotypes in Mumbai's second-largest slum

Prabhjote Gill

India’s favourite Sexpert reveals what the country’s best kept secrets are!

Debdatta Das

Have you burnt effigies of these 10 Ravanas this Dussehra?

Gunja Deo

The entire list and a brief profile of 'Delhi ke nirmata'⁠— the makers of Delhi felicitated at Kejriwal's oath taking ceremony

BI India Bureau

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