Hello all. I hope all of you are fine. Recently I read a book about Snehalaya organization working on the issues of women in sex work. This book just derails us. We tremble while reading this book. Nazis or Talibanis are there in large numbers in India too! And we realize it amid many shocks. I am expressing my reflection after reading that book. The title of that book means “Fighting the darkness.”
Most of us live in a protected world. Therefore generally we are not much aware about these things. Or many times we consciously avoid them. But while reading this book, the true and damn cruel world gets uncovered. When we realize that this set up- pretty similar to a Nazi concentration cam is there in our world and mostly very near to us, then we just tremble. In this inhuman world, everything is different. Young kids- almost babies are raped, babies are thrown like a garbage after cutting their legs, girls with age 10- 12 re thrown forcefully into trading their bodies, when they don’t cooperate, their noses are closed and they are made to drink liquour and when drank, they are made to trade their body; even a 70 year woman sells her body for mere a cup of tea. Do we have patience to know more? Everything here is that inhuman. Many times girls are brought and sold by their relatives. Or relatives exploit them. If they strive hard and escape, then again their relatives breach their trust and bring them to the same hell. When a human organization such as Snehalaya protects the victim girls and children- then all feudal figures, political leaders and prevalent legal system favours inhumanity against humanity.
Snehalaya’s work today has reached many States. It began when Girishji Kulkarni, a school going boy saw his age girls on the roads with some strange expressions, when he saw the owner woman beating the girls and sometimes...... Here Girishji and his friends started their journey. They began by obtaining confidence of the women in sex work to look after their kids for some time. Even obtaining this confidence was difficult. With sensitivity and as a human they started this journey and started doing what was possible for them. From 1989 till today in these 33 years, they consistently worked and helped many victims. Rescuing minor girls, protection to children of the sex workers, rehabilitation, education, lodging cases against feudal lords while facing stringent opposition from entire the system and winning such cases after years of hard work, treatment and emotional support given to persons with ADS, thankless task of making the police and the government system aware are some directions towards which they worked hard to somehow limit and reduce this hell. While coming to know this work, I bowed down to their spirit. Such large scale hells or concentration camps are prevalent, but still there are many rays of light “fighting with the darkness.” and it gives a big relief.
Some thoughts pop up in mind. Any disease or stress does not happen all of a sudden. It slowly grows. And instead of treating the disease at the last stage of the disease, it is better to treat in the initial stage and further better to treat even before the disease has arrived. Those who don’t get actual love (meaning of Snehalaya is also a sea of love!), actual affection, warmth, a loving touch, unconditional acceptance- all such real good things- they start starving. They become mal- nourished in a way. And due to social situations, earlier stress in the society and inequalities, opportunities for getting such true love and affection slowly slowly get dried up. Then the tendency arrives to forcefully grab that which was actually naturally would have been obtained. One who does not get depth of mind and emotions is forced to be restricted in the body. In those set ups like tribal villages where boys and girls live together since childhood and where emotional relations blossom, such kind of stress hardly happens.
What can I do for this? If we think this way, then we see many things. Firstly each of us can be little more aware. Am I behave like a human with the people with whom I live, whom I meet and with whom I work? My behaviour with them, is it cordial and empathetic? Or is there someone malnourished in my circle? With a little bit of love and some awareness, it is not difficult to find such undernourishment. And if such behaviour is happening in our circle, then opposing it is also not that difficult. But we need awareness and sensitivity for that. And we need to accept that situation around us is badly alarming.
A word about the wrong- doers. The criminals may escape legal or social systems. Or their crimes may remain hidden. But at from place such criminals can never escape. And that place is their own mind. Let they place many layers of ego, power, violence on their mind. The imprint that “I have done these crimes” can never get erased from their mind. Due to obstruction of ego and power, it may take some time. But one day, they will self- confront. Because the burden of crime is so inhuman to hold for so long. However one may deny it or avoid it, it is always there. Then when with that confrontation, inhumanity in that person will meet humanity.
The purpose of this article is just reflection about that book. Work of the organization and its hundreds of activists and supporters is very vast. This is a continuous movement with the prevalent systems and it is going on since three decades! I again salute to this work! Work of the organization is expanded in many States and many helping hands are also coming. ‘Lived as a trader of body, but would not die as a one,’ is a pledge given by the organization to the women in sex work. During covid19 times, new challenges emerged. Despite of all this, the organization is consistently toiling. More information about its work can be obtained here- https://www.snehalaya.org/about. We can extend our possible help to such organizations and individuals. But wherever we may live, there is a lot to do for us. A little bit of awareness, warmth and introspection!
Yes, the challenges are too many
The darkness is very old and gloomy
But just a ray of light defeats the enemy
चुनौतियाँ का तांता लम्बा है माना
अन्धेरा है बहुत घना और पुराना
लेकीन बस रोशनी की किरण को तो है जन्माना
- Niranjan Welankar 09422108376 niranjanwelankar@gmail.com
Hello, I have made a small contribution for Snehalaya. If you wish, you can also contribute. Bank Name: HDFC Bank Branch name: Market Yard Branch Account Number : 01811000053339 Name of Account (Cheque to be made in the name of): Snehalaya
9 digit MICRnumber: 414002001 Current/ savings account: Current account RTGS/IFSC Code: HDFC0000181
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