Christianity in Kamathipura

The sex trade hub of the city is changing fast with new demographics and developers eyeing the piece of real estate

Christianity in Kamathipura

The sex trade hub of the city is changing fast with new demographics and developers eyeing the piece of real estate

Hundreds of sex workers are embracing Christianity in Kamathipura, thus changing the demography of Mumbai's infamous red light area.
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The buzzword in the lanes of Kamathipura is, "Yashu ban jayo." For prostitutes, it means embracing Christianity.

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara met members from the MSM and hijra communities, including female sex workers from Kamathipura, several of them HIV positive, to understand what it means to be living with homophobia, transphobia, gender violence and HIV and to broaden understanding of their issues, such as stigma and discrimination, after a training session at The Cricket Club of India (CCI) ground in Mumbai recently

Mangal, an ageing prostitute from Kamathipura said it made more sense to become a Christian. "At least we are treated with respect," explained Mangal.

Asha, a Nepali gharwali (brothel owner) distributes pamphlets to spread the message of Christianity among prostitutes.
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Yellamma, a former sex worker, said a bunch of senior prostitutes had been encouraging other sex workers to come for prayer meetings.

"A large number of ailing sex workers get relief after attending these prayer meetings, which are held at regular intervals," revealed Yellamma.

Jurisdiction
There could be approximately 5,000 prostitutes in Kamathipura alone. According to Peoples' Health Organization (PHO), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) an estimated 1,500 prostitutes could have been converted to Christianity in the past two years. Senior Inspector Sanjay Kadam of Nagpada police station, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, said he is aware of the phenomenon and is looking into the matter.

Dozens of Christian organisations have emerged in Mumbai's red-light areas, including Falkland Road, Simplex Compound and other small pockets, in the past few years. Many have entrenched themselves in these areas by buying brothels.

Noble
The intention seems to be noble. Some of these organisations, active in red light districts own vehicles and ambulances, which are used to take sick prostitutes to hospitals or distant ashrams. In return, it is believed, these women have embraced Christianity. "I know that several NGOs which are doing a noble job by rescuing these girls.

Most of them were forced into the profession," said Abraham Mathai, Chairman State Minority Commission. The children of some of the sex workers who have converted to Christianity are now attending schools. Many of them are being relocated to places like Badlapur. "I was approached by several organisations to join hands with them.

But I backed out when I was told that they would be distributing religious materials along with food and books," said Dr Ishwar Gilada, Honorary Secretary of PHO, who has been working in red light areas for the past 29 years. MiD DAY tried to contact some of these organisations but most of them were tight-lipped about the structure and funding.

Property
Properties in red light areas are now in demand. Sandwiched between the up market Grant Road and Byculla-Mazgaon areas, these old villa type brothels are now prime properties for developers. Property owners in these areas feel, it makes more sense to sell their buildings to builders than renting them out to brothels. One of the major reasons is said to be the dwindling flesh trade. "Sex workers do not even solicit two clients in a day and their income can be as low as Rs 20 per day," said Gilada.

At Kamathipura

Underworld
Dawood Ibrahim's elder brother Shabir had an affair with dancer Chitra from the Congress House near Kamathipura. Shabir wanted to take her out to experience nightlife outside the dancing den. Shabir and Chitra set out towards Bandra in a white Fiat, unaware that members of Pathan gang were following them.
The Pathans closed in on Shabir near a petrol pump opposite Siddhivinayak Temple. Amirzada Nawab Khan of Pathan gang asked Chitra to leave.

The four men then pumped five bullets into Shabir and killed him on February 12, 1983. Soon, the Pathans were at Pakmodia Street near JJ Hospital. The plan was to take Dawood by surprise before the news of his brother's death could reach him.

Dawood's key associate and few others were guarding Pakmodia Street and soon recognised the vehicle often used by the Pathans. In an exchange of fire between the two gangs, Amirzada was injured but he managed to escape. This was just the beginning of a war resulting in the elimination of over 50 gangsters, including their relatives, in the next 10 years. Amirzada was later arrested by the police in connection with Shabir's murder.

But whenu00a0 he was brought to the Sessions Court, a 20-year-old man too managed to enter the court. He pulled out a revolver and opened fire at Amirzada from close range. Amirzada was killed. The police managed to overpower the assassin who identified himself as David Pardesi.

Pardesi later told investigators that the 'supari' (contract to kill) was offered by Dawood Ibrahim to avenge the murder of Shabir. The operation became part of gangland folklore, instantly changing the underworld equation in Mumbai. Dawood started being considered in some twisted way as an underworld 'genius'.

Towards Navi Mumbai
Sex workers forced out of Kamathipura after redevelopment plans took off a few months ago, have now set up shop at Turbhe in Navi Mumbai. Sanjay Shinde of the Kamathipura Bachao Samiti, an organisation fighting to save Kamathipura, and for the rights of commercial sex workers said, "Nearly a month ago when some landlords evicted sex workers from their rented rooms, the women wept and refused to move from the streets outside.
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They have now decided to shift to Turbhe, an area that has an existing sex trade, although not as established as Kamathipura." Most of the sex workers were piled into a truck with their belongings and shifted to Navi Mumbai, he said. Turbhe mainly houses production units.

Sex workers are hopeful of finding customers among labourers working at the units. Gilada said, "Women from Osmanabad and Latur migrated here after the earthquake, and that's how Turbhe developed a sex trade pocket. The women from Kamathipura are finding it comfortable here because rents are cheap."

Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez (centre) at an event in Kamathipura last year
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He stresses the need for government agencies to work towards rehabilitating women from Kamathipura, and take a decision on whether Turbhe should be the next red light district. Real estate experts say, builders are lured by Kamathipura due to its location and proximity to south Mumbai. "The current rate in Kamathipura is in between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per sq ft," a broker said.

History
The history of Mumbai's red light areas dates back to 1889, when mostly Anglo-Indian sex workers were active in these areas. Smugglers swarmed the places. The smugglers sold items ranging from cheap cigarette lighters to Boski textiles (a fabric imported from Japan). It was also known as, 'safed gulli' andu00a0 most of the clients were from the garrison. The word 'red light' emerged as all the brothels had red lamps hanging outside the door. It was an indication that patrons were solicited. By 1928, licenses were issued to sex workers. Prostitution was banned in Bombay in 1950. The first case of AIDS was reported three years later. Yet, the first awareness camp for sex workers was held on June 26, 1982.

Death
Prostitutes in Mumbai's red light districts are dying a slow death. In the early 1990s there were an estimated one lakh sex workers. Soon AIDS scare affected their business. There was a reasonable income from flesh trade as the gharwalis borrowed large sums from moneylenders to buy girls and run brothels. "The trade went down after most of them contracted HIV. About 30,000 sex workers went back to their home town during the 1993 communal riots . Around 50,000 were HIV positive and they died in the last 15 years," said Gilada. Intensive police patrolling in the area also acted as a deterrent to customers. Social workers say prostitutes are neglected, as most of them do not have voting rights. Hence, they are not of much use to politicians. Their number today is just about 20,000.

Red Alert
Some well-known red light districts in the world

Amsterdam: The Amsterdam red light district covers a large area of the oldest part of the city. As darkness descends on the city, the glow of the fluorescent red lights above the many windows in the area become more and more visible. The district is full of sex shops, brothels, gay bars, cinemas, hotels and various museums.

Geylang, Singapore: Thousands of Asian prostitutes from countries like Thailand, Indonesia, China and Malaysia work in Geylang. The district is home to hundreds of brothels. Some are regulated, while others operate illegally behind the scenes.

Patpong, Bangkok: Most Patpong go-go bars feature women dancing on a stage. The dancers (and even occasionally the serving staff) are generally available to customers willing to pay a bar fine. The fees for sexual services are negotiated separately. Some establishments advertising massages are, in fact, brothels in disguise.

Reeperbahn, Hamburg, Germany: The Reeperbahn is the most famous street in Hamburg. It is home to many great bars, restaurants, theatres, and clubs along with sex shops, sex museums, erotic theatres and strip clubs.

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