Holy Shadow

In the heart of the city of Pune lies the majestic Dagdushed Ganpati. A beautifully carved idol surrounded by an even more beautifully built temple. But honestly, temples and idols of shinny beauty have never fascinated me. What I write about today is the dingy by lanes which lie adjacent to this gorgeous structure. The notorious red light area, which supposedly ropes in all the sins of Pune. To a civilised man the prostitutes adorned with excess of talcum powder and mascara, represent symbols of vile and evil deeds. But are they not human? Is their crime so grave that we must refuse to acknowledge their very existence? If selling your body is a crime, isn’t selling your soul an even greater crime. I sincerely doubt that any respectable person in our civilised society has abided by their ethics with such loyalty that he has never committed any act considered sinful. The prostitute standing in that lane is not a monster; contrary to popular belief, they do not pull you inside the little shabby hutment where their business chamber sits, you aren’t forced into that smelling single bed, you patronise it. Under the temptation of a screw, the offensive place does not seem so offensive any more. The prostitute sits there at her business spot every day not because of some sort of hierarchy, but because of the customers who come to her. Personally, I find hierarchy and nepotism greater evils in society than doing honest business, even if the business is that of the flesh. Oh! But how could I have forgotten: it does not take longer than a few minutes and an ejaculation to transform a man from a sexually rearing beast into saint on a holy cause does it? This world has seen numerous professions from hunters, to warriors, to politicians, to into-tech professionals. But a profession that man remembers from time immemorial and a profession which still persists and persists strong, coincidently happens to be the one we are most ashamed of. The desires and lust of man has been the same through out generations. Prostitution is not harming any society anywhere in this world, because of the simple reason that it as in grained in society as basic aspects like language are. Does the solution to the problem of prostitution come from developing successful relationships? Actually is it really a problem? Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey are a few examples of countries where flesh trade between adults is permitted. Legalisation of prostitution paves the way for keeping greater tabs on the profession and helps treat it as any other profession, making it susceptible to legislation. The transparency that legalisation will bring about, will ensure that underage girls will not be forced into it. Further advantage of it is the removal of middle men or as they are more commonly called: pimps. This in turn will safeguard against exploitation of commercial sex workers and goad them into mainstream civilisation. It will mean eradication of discrimination prostitutes face at the hands of society. Our small gesture, of acknowledging their meagre existence will reinforce a human’s right to live.