They enchanted generations. They enticed
through the ages. They were the centre of attraction, pulling the high and
mighty of the society. They made and destroyed powerful people, princes and
kings by keeping alive their voyeurism.
Until they met their nemesis!
They are the courtesans. They have had
their presence in every civilization. They have had their presence in India. In
history and literature pertaining to the northern and eastern Indian parts,
they were known as the brides of the cities (नगर वधुएँ). With emergence of the princely states in the last
chaotic days of the Mughal Empire, also called as golden period of the
courtesans, they came to be known as Tawaifs (तवायफें), much in the line of their South Asian
identity.
They
had a history to tell. They have had a history to tell. It is the paradox in
their lives, in every generation of their presence, which haunts. And this
paradox became their nemesis once the British rule was officially and firmly
established across the India after the 1857 Mutiny that declared their work
illegal. The notion that it sent to posterity was that every courtesan was
indulged in prostitution and it was doing great harm to the Indian culture and
needed tough legal recourse to handle. The underlying reason for the British to
do so was their belief that these ‘kothas’ played a part in the 1857 uprising
by giving leaders of the mutiny places to meet and strategise as some
historians put it.
That
was the beginning of the end of the courtesans’ ‘कोठा’ tradition, signified by a place
where the courtesans used to live and perform for their clientele. It could
never be equated with the ‘red light area’ culture that prevailed later on
where sex trade became the primary activity managed and ruled by criminals and
pimps. That was the beginning of the end of their nemesis.
What
the British began over a century ago has done this symbolic upheaval – the brides
of the cities or the courtesans of the tawaifs of the yore are confused being from
a tradition that gave rise to sex trade today. The aesthetics of the courtesan culture is wrongly seen in the context of dead walls
of the red light areas now.
THE PARADOX
The
high lives of historical figures in the courtesan-tradition were well respected
and acceptable in the society. They were seen as the doyens of culture and
heritage. They often doubled as the etiquette trainers of their influential
clientele. Some even married to the princes and the kings (the patrons) they
were in love with.
In-turn,
the ivy-league courtesans acted as the patrons for their junior partners. It
was a kind of umbrella that gave legitimacy to everyone in the tradition of
courtesans, from the highly skilled singers and dancers who were selective in
choices and maintained a single contact and who cost a fortune to the courtesans
at the bottom of the occupation who were not so skilled, not acceptable
socially and who indulged in sex trade to meet their ends.
So,
the paradox of acceptability and deniability was well entrenched there.
HOW THIS PARADOX HAS PLAYED OUT
WITH TIME?
It
was just a matter of balance. And it was just about the time when the tilt started
taking a negative turn – the beginning of the end.
With
deteriorating number of patrons, as the Mughal Empire collapsed and the most of
the princely states became dependent on the British aid with limited resources at
their disposal, the big names of the courtesan tradition had to look for other
options of survival. As they were highly skilled performers, they could find
alternatives. Names like Rasoolan Bai or Jaddan Bai and many others became
famed classical singers. They became contemporary celebrities and dominated the
initial days of the All India Radio and gramophone in India.
But
what about the majority lot who was not so skilled or who survived more on the
urge of the opposite sex attraction than singing and dancing alone? They were
not acceptable for socialization even before the beginning of this end. The
beginning of this end led to their gradual exclusion from the society.
They
were forced to accept that they indulged in something they needed to repent
for. Alternatively, the miserable conditions of their survival pushed them to
think it was due to the sins of their lives that had its genesis in their profession.
But
not all of them slipped to the dark world of the prostitution. Many left
singing and dancing, moved to places, killed their identities, tried to conceal
their past and tried to become part of the society in general.
But
what they really think of it? Do they reflect over it as a cultural tradition
that was unnecessarily targeted?
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
