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Indian J. Soc & Pol.2 (02): 2015:01-08 ISSN : 2348-0084

HISTORY OF IN CALCUTTA: A REVIEW

HARSHANKAR ADHIKARI1 1SOCIAL WORKER,MONIHAR COOPERATIVE SOCIETY ,

ABSTRACT

Prostitution is an oldest stigmatized profession. Poor economy, gender biasedness and patriarchal system push the women of different background into this trade. It has a long history and in every stratified society the prostitution exists. It is till an alive profession when the feminist movements towards equity and justice of women are in action. However, however, the present paper was an attempt to explore the historical base of prostitution in Calcutta, only Metro of Eastern India. For this purpose, the method used here consists first breaking down the profession as its existed into its different constituent elements, and then resembling it. It was explored through unearthed important repositories of confidential official policy decisions, records in contemporary newspapers, and journals, and travelogues and reminiscences of both British and observers. An analysis of these records was done to draw the historical base of this profession. The prostitution started its journey from pre-colonial era and it was reshaped during British rule. After independence of India, the profession girls trafficking are till continuing in diverse forms. It is an alternative economy for the women/girls dominated by backward and Muslim who are victims of poor economy, gender baisedness and patriarchal system.

KEYWORDS : Calcutta, , , Women of backward community.

The prostitute has been commonly construction invented by males –provide scope defined as any woman, who for the sake of to males to inflict their masculinity on female monetary consideration or any other gainful sexuality. It is a multi-layered diversified remuneration, sells her body is regarded as such. stigmatized profession existed in every stratified Throughout the history of society, the society. It is a gender specific phenomenon; the much reviled whore has been criticized as a overwhelming majority of the victims are sinner, immoral, a repository of diseases, a women and girls, while perpetrators are profaner of religion, whose companionship invariably ‘men’ (Howard 2003). The root cause should be shunned by the civilised, moral, of demand of prostitution is ‘men’. The male virtuous and married man. Her synonyms are maintains the power over women (Dworkin varied: harlot, whore, kerb-walker, stew, 1994). So in their various stages of development strumpet, escort woman, and in India there were the women are victims of gender baisedness, the ‘Ganikas’ in ancient times whose equivalent inequality and injustice. The poor economy, in modern times came to be the tawaifs or unstable , high rate of illiteracy and who maintained vast establishments their distressed life are consequently the under the patronage of the , men of the crucial factor to push them into low skilled and nobility(Mukherjee 1935, 34-38). well paid profession of sex trade in spite of the Historically prostitution is an old age stigma and danger attached to the work from profession. The systems of prostitution - a social their ordinary life. It is a way of economic

1; Corresponding Author

ADHIKARI : HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA : A REVIEW alternative to the women of distressed and roads. So there must have been people with backward society (Lewis 1965, 123-135). surplus income, migrant workers, traders, sailors However modem prostitution is also a and soldiers - all of them potential customers of paid form of reproductive labour, performed prostitutes. The first reference of women under conditions of ever increasing practicing sex with several men, not belonging to commodification of all goods and services, any individual could be traced back to Indus within the currently expanding system of global Valley Civilization(Kosambi 1972, 45-50). capitalism. Throughout history the various The Rig Veda (c. 1200-900 RC.) , the modes of production, reproduction, distribution, first ancient Indian sacred text noted about consumption, pleasure, and recreations have sexual desire , marriage , , extra marital contested with one another, within the affairs, incest, , The earliest mention overarching norms of patriarchy. It is in the of prostitution in Vedic period occurs in the context of these contestations that Rigveda. Between eighth and fifth century R C., develop into commoditized prostitution and, extra-marital or illicit love affairs might or might relatively stable prostitute-client relations not have been paid, but there was a probability develop into marriage-like bondage. Our on the part of the male-counterpart to regard it as familial-religious ideologies are engaged in a payable service. But as long as it was limited justifying, perpetuating and maintaining various ·to a particular partner it was likely to be myths and lies around these modes of considered more of a temporary contract than of management of human sexuality. This is the prostitution. Sukumari Bhattachruji studied that universal story, but the history of each gradually there arose a section of women who, civilization has its own specificities (Chunder either because they could not find suitable 1970. 56-58). husbands, or because of early widowhood, In India prostitution is also the oldest unsatisfactory married life or other social one profession. The mythology and old Hindu pressures, especially if they had been violated, scriptures of India (i.e Ramayanan, abducted or forcibly enjoyed and so denied an , Vedas, Upnishad, etc) had been honorable status in society, or had been given given a glimpse of its existence variously in away as gift in religious or secular events – such then society. For instance, prostitutes were women were frequently forced to take up entertaining a gathering when Rama(the Hero of prostitution as a profession. And when they did the epic and Bharat (younger brother so, they found themselves in a unique position: of Rama) were in discussion of some issues of they constituted the only section of women who their kingdom. In Indian canonical literature— had to be their own breadwinners and Hindu, Buddhist or Jain—she has been depicted guardians(Bhattacharya 1988, 79; Sur 1995, 23) in colours which make her particularly repulsive. . The Buddhist religious texts—comprising of the History also tells that during the Pitakas, the Avadanas and the Jatakas—are Mauryan period, there appears to be a systematic replete with these ‘Hetaerae’ (Bandopadhyay control of the prostitution business under a 2002, 12-13). superintendant called the ‘Ganikaadyaksha’. From the Indus Valley Civilization (c. Kautilya, the chief minister of Chandragupta 3000-' 1750 B.c.), the oldest evidence of Maurya, had enumerated a wide range of urbanization hitherto discovered in Indian prostitutes comprising the Ganika, Pratiganika, subcontinent, we find that people had contacts Rupajiva, Pumshali, Kaushikastri, Dasi, with ancient Mesopotamia. They had Rupdasi, Shilpkaria and several others. Of them governments, religion, ports, dry docks, ship the first two were the highest ranked and building yards, and planned towns with paved recipient of the highest salary by the state. The 2 Indian J Soc & Pol 02(02):2015:01-08

ADHIKARI : HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA : A REVIEW

Ganikas were the accomplished and most colonial administrators-.realized that the life of a beautiful women meant for the king’s court and Professional in India was not the same paid a fixed salary by the state. The second as that of a prostitute in , nor was category was a courtesan who substituted in prostitutes here looked down upon as a place of the official courtesan during the latter’s community, by all the other sections of the absence but was paid only half of her salary. society. They had a special domain, relation with Besides these, some texts mentioned the the rest· of the society and terms of exchange prostitutes as the ‘Kulatas’ who were married recognized even by the new colonial courts. women who secretly would leave their home to With the arrival of British colonialism and meet with their lover or lovers, and the Soarini introduction of capitalist economy a radical shift who was such a shameless creature that she could be gradually seen in the socio-political, openly engaged in extra-marital affairs despite economic and cultural scenario of India and the disapproval of her husband and family 'prostitution' was not left out(Kincaid 1973, 98). (Basak 1992, 119-123) The growth of prostitution in the 19th In pre-colonial Bengal, the prostitute century Calcutta was intrinsically related to the suddenly emerged into full glare of Publicity in development of Calcutta as the capital of British Calcutta, the capital of colonial Bengal and its India. To review some of the historical events- suburbs. It was also an evident that prostitution after the Industrial Revolution England needed was functioned in Calcutta from 18th Century. colonial expansion primarily to extract the raw The colonial administrative responses and the materials as well as to sell the finished products. indigenous socio-cultural reactions were Calcutta, one of the earliest colonial settlements indicative of a pathological society that spread of the British was used as a center to organize prostitution in 18th – 19th century (Banerjee the linkages to extract the resources from the 1998, 4). The historical records indicated that the vast territory of the for the villain of the great Palssey battle named Mirjafar economic growth in England. Therefore, it was married prostitutes named Moni Baiji and Babbu left on , the then British Baiji(Bandopadyaya 2002, 12). Company's Chief in Bengal to establish the However, the present paper was an settlement in 1690 that was originally a attempt to explore the historical base of conglomeration of three villages-, Dihi. prostitution in Calcutta. For this purpose, the Kolkata and Gobindapur. The city began to take method used here consists first breaking down shape from 1698(Ray 1982, 23-26). the profession as its existed into its different Therefore, the development of constituent elements, and then resembling it. It prostitution was closely associated with the was explored through unearthed important roads development and expansion history of repositories of confidential official policy Calcutta. There were mainly two roads decisions, records in contemporary newspapers, connected the Calcutta. First road was and journals, and travelogues and reminiscences considered as pilgrim road which was stretched of both British and Bengal observers. An from to Temple via Bentick analysis of these records was done to draw the and Chowranghee. The connection of historical base of this profession. second road was started from eastern bank of PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA river and it was stretched upto southern Generally the sex sector emerged in the side of Railway station (Baithakkhana city of Calcutta, under the control of the English Market) via Koylaghata, North Laldighi, Lal , since the . Though Bazar and . It was a busy road because Reformation in Europe brought in stricter control of its commercial importance. The prostitution of , even their-closure, some of the early was developed by the side of these roads. They Indian J Soc & Pol 02(02):2015:01-08 3

ADHIKARI : HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA : A REVIEW were mainly settled at Sidheswaritala, liasion with the employees and then had fun at , Rambagan, Sethbagan, , the drawing room with whores throughout the Sindurpatti, Teritibagar, -Dhukuribazar, night. .. Another category of babus asks the Kalighat and Bow Bazar (Harkatha servant to sleep in the bedroom at the fear of Lane)(Bandopadyaya 2002, 26). their absence being discovered by their parents. The women of depressed and backward After midnight the would get back and community generally engaged as prostitutes for hearing the babu knock on the bedroom door, the their survival. There was relation between servant would get up and open the bedroom government and prostitution during this period. door and leave the room ... nobody in the house We find that they used to pray tax to the would have a clue about it. .. Hutom comments, government for their profession. In an Kolkata has became a city of prostitutes due to unpublished Records of Government by Revd, J. the great men like these. There is no Long stated “… in 1752….. the property of neighbourhood without at least ten whorehouses prostitute was confiscated to the Government and it is even on increase . As per Hutom the Revenue” (58). Admiral John Saplintan insatiable sexual desire of the rich people would Stavoniras had given a description about the life neither leave the neighbourhood women of prostitute of Calcutta during 1768-1771 in his (married or not) nor spare the women of their ‘Voyages to the East Indies’. He wrote, own household, irrespective of the social “Prostitution is not thought a disgrace: there are relationship they might be having with the everywhere licensed places, where a great particular lady. And this libertine behaviour by number of loose women are kept; it is a the male members of family had eventually livelihood that is allowed by law, upon payment either led to committing suicide by the female to the faujdar, or sheriff, of the place, of a certain members or getting into work like prostitution. duty imposed upon the persons of the females Hutom tells us that certain abortion-causing who adopt this mode of life; they are generally herbs used to be taken on a monthly basis by assured at half a rupee or fifteen stivers per some rich households (Nag 1992, 169). month”( 1986, 160-61). An idea of the behavior of the British During this period, the Bengali soldiers in Calcutta can be had from the novelists, journalists and so forth pictured the observation made by a Bengali newspaper in the culture of prostitute and their clientele’s 1820s. Referring to the arrival of fresh British behaviour in their writing very critically. They troops and their initial stay in Fort William in described that rich and educated people used to Calcutta, the paper commented: “Since the Fort visit prostitution on different occasion at was very near to the city of Calcutta, the newly Calcutta and it was thereafter turned as a ‘babu arrived soldiers took leave and went to the city, culture’- keeping prostitute is considered to be a moved around in the sun, boozed and indulged status symbol and many babus' one and only in debarichery and similar acts.” (Barleycorn creditable achievements in life were the two 1943, 100). storied or the three storied houses that they had The Census Report, 1806 of Calcutta built for their kepts and concubines, after which recorded the statistic of population as prostitutes. they could be remembered. Such were many rich It described that prostitutes owned 655 houses, and socially well known men at Calcutta who out of 7433 houses and it was located by the side did not bother to see the face of their wife at of 44 main roads of then Calcutta. It also night and the 'responsibility' was passed on to an mentioned that a in 235 and 236 Bow employee who looked after the property or to a Bazar street owned by a member of servant. Some babus used to keep his wife under Dwarakanath Tagore’s family. It had 43 rooms lock and key at night at the fear of her having 4 Indian J Soc & Pol 02(02):2015:01-08

ADHIKARI : HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA : A REVIEW for prostitutes and its rental value was Rs,140/- the prostitutes and to undertake health check up (Mukherjee 1974, 101). to prevent and control sexual diseases. In this It was also observed that due to some connection, ‘The English Man Newspaper on social customary rules, wife of a Civil Servants, 27th July, 1884 made an appeal, ‘In Calcutta the Lawyer or Doctors did not accompany with their effrontery of vice is becoming more and more husband when they were posted to outside their insufferable. A few years ago the police native place. So, they kept a prostitute as their authorities wee empowered to shut up any house step wife who accompanied him at their work of ill-repute at will, and all the leading place(Nag 1992, 172). were free from these pest-houses. Since the . repeat of the C D Act, however this authority Bengal Almanek’s Street Directory of seems to have been withdrawn, and now these 1856 recorded that number 3-94 houses of shameless places are found in Wellesly Street, Harkata Lane of Bow Bazar (now at central Dhurrumtollah, Elliot road, Marquis street, and Calcutta) were occupied by ‘Banglee Dancing other thoroughfares. Collinga Bazar street is Girls’. It also noted in the ‘History of unseakably shamless, and the whole Kashimbazar Raj’ that ‘tenants (of Bow Bazar) neighbourhood of that street is in fested with the were from a different community consisting of most detestable characters. North of Bow Bazar Anglo-Indians, , Armenians and Baijis the case is even worse, although it must be said ( girl, generally Muslim) of mixed and that the European vermin who import women uncertain birth who settled here from from the Danubi, and the wretched victims of and other places in upper India. This was also a their hideous traffic, are much more shameless closed society, none from outside could than the lowest specimens of native humanity penetrate into the tenancy except those who were found in the northern end of the city(Ray there from the beginning…. the names of several , 1987, 91). dancing girls are given as Bibi Neki, Bibi The officially reformist agenda of the Rosenia….) (Ghosh1901, 27). new Indian elite, in respect of the sex sector, came dramatically to the fore in 1921. In that The Census 1901 of Calcutta recorded year some 350 prostitutes of Barishal (now in that total population of Calcutta was 847796, out ) approached Gandhiji and, of which 285200 was female population. The expressed their desire to work further for the females of above 10 years of age were 199072 cause ofIndia's liberation from the British rule. and among them, 14370 females were They were already registered with the Indian prostitutes. The statistics also recorded that out National Congress in some capacity. Even of 14 females of Calcutta, one was prostitute. Gandhiji told them that they have no place in the Further, it was remarked that there were huge society of the householders. They must leave number of females secretly involved in this their profession, renounce the world, and profession and they were basically maid become nuns and, only then will they be able to servants, daily labour and so serve the country(Sharma 2002, 82-85). It was a forth(Bandopadyaya 2002, 72). matter of regret that in India neither the rulers, The history tells that the number of nor the local elite aspiring for political power, prostitutes was increasing at alarming threat was concerned about the prostitutes. Their because of violence against women and poor concern was to prevent women from their own economy and unstable marriage. For the control groups being channeled into the sex sector. The of entry of women into this profession, the desire to raid brothels grew stronger, especially enactment of the Contagious Diseases Act, 1868 after enactment of the Calcutta Suppression of was important. The aim of this was to register Immoral Traffic Act of 1923. The League of Indian J Soc & Pol 02(02):2015:01-08 5

ADHIKARI : HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA : A REVIEW

Nations Committee on Trafficking in Women Women and Children Act, (SlTA) was passed in and Children said that in 1926 there were 20,000 1956. It used UN Conventions as it's template of Indian prostitutes in Kolkata. The League human rights. SlTA was designed to punish demanded of all governments that they gather those who coerce and/ or benefit from the data regarding various aspects of prostitution prostitutes' labour. It criminalized , in their respective countries. The Government of trafficking, brothel keeping, pimping, and living India asked the Provincial Governments to report off the proceeds of prostitution. It was not on the matter, especially on the methods of actually designed to punish prostitutes per se, rehabilitation being used, heralding the birth of although, SITA has become the Prevention of state-sponsored rehabilitation in India. As a part Immoral Trafficking act of 1986, it has not led to of this exercise, the commissioner of police, the prosecution of procurers, pimps, brothel Kolkata, collected the life histories of 50 keepers. Instead, prostitutes have been prostitutes in 1935. Sixty six percent of them prosecuted under the section that prohibited were married and, of them 42% was either soliciting, indecent behavior or the carrying on driven out of their husband's home or had left it of prostitution in the vicinity of a public place. for some reason. Marriage did not give them any Other provisions in which sex workers are 'protection'. When a married woman is in love implicated are also found in the Indian Penal with another man she falls through the familial Code (IPC), 1860 which contains general 'safety net'. It was and is an equally grave sections against trafficking and slavery of misdemeanour for a widow to be in lovewith women and children. The Constitution of India someone. Sometimes a family friend or an (Art. 23, 39. 42) also contains certain provisions acquaintance brings a woman to the market of that address the trafficking in human beings. It is part time or full time sexual services (Chatterjee widely acknowledged in the last two decades the 1990, 28-36) . discourse on the issues of women in prostitution The reformist attempts to get rid of the has undergone a shift through the efforts of prostitutes of Kolkata often cloaked some groups working with women in prostitution and economic reasons as 'civic' or 'moral' reasons. growing prostitutes' movements in many parts of The city improvement trust was set up in 1911. the world. The roads and tramways were expanded and At present roughly 60000 women are in extended. This drove up the value of real estates this profession and they were the children of in the , Cornwallis Street, Lower prostitute, trafficked from backward districts Circular Road and Shovabazar Street. The police and neighbouring countries, received numerous petitions at that time stating Bangladesh and . These brothels based that these streets needed "cleaning up". The female sex workers occupied eight red-light area attempt was partly successful. However, a larger of Kolkata. They set up their household and portion of the women rescued stated that they living their new generation with almost in had no desire to retrace their steps. The 19th and inhuman condition. 20th century Kolkata experience with police and CONCLUSION non-police survey and rescue revealed a close nexus between familial oppression of women, Prostitution has rightly been called the their resultant desire to break free and, the sex oldest profession in the world. It is also one sector(Chatterjee 1990, 28-36) . which is nearly universally prevalent in all However, after years of piecemeal nations, communities and societies for as long as legislation under British Rule, Independent India the masculine libido remained insatiate, the brought in unifonn laws applicable across the male’s unrestrained sexual energy shall always country. The Suppression of Trafficking in find ways and means to perpetuate a system 6 Indian J Soc & Pol 02(02):2015:01-08

ADHIKARI : HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA : A REVIEW which in today’s parlance is equated as sex- severe as a leper. The British could only apply slavery. Outright kidnapping, extreme poverty, legislations borrowed from their home country misfortunes such as divorce/widowhood, social which reflected the gender-bias and double- customs were some of the reasons compelling standards of the Victorian Age. Instead of women to take to prostitution. In pre-colonial applying the retributive action of the state on , we find a vicious social- punishing those who pushed the hapless women customs considered as Devdaasi in which to this trade, they made the life of the Indian would dedicate their daughter or prostitute more miserable by initiating the daughters to the local —be it Basava in system of ‘Lock Hospitals’ and ‘Registered Karnataka, Khandoba in Maharashtra. Such girls Prostitutes’, the intention of which was to fully were prevented from marrying as they were meet the lascivious needs of the English Tommy regarded as the God’s bride, and they were in without impairing his bodily vigour and, thus, reality, the common mistress of the principal maintain the British Army, an important pillar of functionaries of the temple to whom they had British hegemony around the globe, as an active been dedicated. The prostitute in British Calcutta fighting force capable of warding off challenges like today cannot be characterised as constituting to this ‘Jewel in the Crown’ both internally and a distinctive class of their own. They ranged externally. from the economically well-off Baijis and In post independence India, we find that Tawaifs to the lowly, despised ‘randis’ living on there were some acts only enforced to control the the miserly pittances eked out by their village act of prostitution. There was neither such patrons. An activity which had hitherto been initiative to trap the entry of women/girls into spatially dispersed now began to be this profession or any rehabilitation measures agglomerated within a specified part of the city taken for them. But the spread of endemic which came to be called as the red-light area. It diseases- HIV/AIDS alerted the government of is not clear whether this was due to a deliberate India for which it took initiative for control and design of the British administrators, for whom prevent of the spread of the diseases as the proliferation of this activity within a well- prostitutes were the highly intermediatory risk demarcated area could have meant a greater ease group. When we are publicizing the women’s in implementing legislations such as the empowerment through equity and justice for Contagious Disease Act. better society, the prostitutes are in same corner to deprive as sex slave. The research studies The British administration never viewed show that they are victim of extreme poverty and prostitution from a moral angle, or if they did, patriarchy. But there is no step to stop the entry their concern was about preserving the dignity of of women into this profession. It would be run as the Christian and European women than the alive profession. There is no remedy at all Indian. They viewed the Indian harlot as a willfully! medical or hygiene problem, and they were concerned only to the extent that the native REFERENCE women could be precluded from spreading Banerjee, Sumantra. (1998). Dangerous Outcast venereal diseases to their soldiers and officers. , New : Seagull Books Thus, the Imperial Government did not look into Chunder, Pratapchandra. (1970). Kautilya on the supply-side forces which forced ill- love and morals. Kolkata : Jyanti. circumstanced women into a profession from Barleycorn, John . (1943) . Bahadur : Old Time which the victim or practitioner had no escape, Taverns in India, Calcutta : Major H and which branded her progenies to come with a Hobbs. taint as demeaning, and social ostracism as Indian J Soc & Pol 02(02):2015:01-08 7

ADHIKARI : HISTORY OF PROSTITUTION IN CALCUTTA : A REVIEW

Chatterjee, Indrani.(1990). “Refracted Reality: Roy Chowdhury. (1987) Calcutta A Hundred The 1935 Calcutta Police Survey of Years Ago, Kolkata : Nachiketa Publishers Prostitutes”, Manushi, 57: 28-36 Ltd. Bandopadhayay, D. (2002), Beshya Sangit and Saha Mahaprasad. (1973) Selection from Baiji Sangit, Kolkata : Ananda Unpublished Records of Government, Dworkin, Andrea (1994) Prostitution and Male Revd. I L Long, Kolkata: Firma KLM Pvt. Supremacy (paper presented in the Ltd. Symposium sponsored by the Michigan Sharma, Anand. (2002) Yaunakarmiyan: Kamini Journal of Gender and Law at the Yaa Kultaa (sex workers: Lovable or University of Michigan , Unchaste women). Kolkata :. October 31, 1992) Sur Atul. (1995) Bharater Bibaher Itihas, Ghosh, M N. (1901). Memoirs of Maharaja Kolkata: Ananda Nubkissen Bahdur, Calcutta Vernede, R V. (1999) British Life in India, New Howrad, Lisa A (2003) presented the paper Delhi: (India) entitled Prostitution, “The Oldest Kosambi, D.O. (1972) The Culture and profession in the World”- Is it possible to Civilisation of Ancient India in Historical Reduce Demand? In a conference in Outline. : Vikas Publishing Chicago on Demand Dynamics: The house Pvt. Ltd. Forces of Demand in Global Sex Bhattacharya, Sukumari. (1988) Pracheen Trafficking Bharat: Samaj Sahitya (Ancient India: Kincaid, Dennis. (1973) British Social Life in Society and India 1608-1937, New Delhi: Routledge Literatur.Kolkata: Ananda. & Kegan Paul The Rig Veda. (1848-51) Rig-Veda ou Livre des Lewis, Oscar (1965) LaVida, New York:Vintage hymnes. Tr. And Ed. Collection of Ancient Books, Hindu Hymns. -6. vols. Mukherjee. S K. (1935) , Kolkata : Dasgupta Co Mukherjee, SN. (1977) Calcutta : Myths and History, Kolkata : Subarnarekha Nair P Thankappan. (1986) Calcutta in the 17th Century, Kolkata : Firma KLM Pvt Ltd. Ray, AK. (1982) A Short History of Calcutta, Kolkata : Riddhi-India

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