For nearly 100 sex workers living in Kamathipura who took the day off from attending to their 'clients' on Tuesday, Raksha Bandhan was a tad disappointing.
For nearly 100 sex workers living in Kamathipura who took the day off from attending to the needs of their 'clients' on Tuesday, Raksha Bandhan was a tad disappointing.
As part of the People's Health Organisation's (PHO's) 'Project Saheli' the sex workers celebrate Raksha Bandhan every year by tying rakhis on the wrists PHO members. This year, the sahelis sorely missed the late actor-turned-politician Sunil Dutt, who was PHO president till his death and had attended every Raksha Bandhan ceremony from 1990.
Members from the Dutt family could not make it to the venue this year due to some 'compulsive reasons'. PHO Secretary IS Gilada said, "They said that they would not be able attend. We did not want to impose tradition on them at a time like this."
The sahelis, however, did not let this dampen their spirits. They paid tribute to Dutt senior - the first public figure to embrace them by lending a helping hand for the sahelis' medico-social betterment through the PHO.
Recalling the time when Sunil Dutt used to attend Raksha Bandhan functions, Gilada said, "In August 2004, when he was the Union Minister for Youth and Sports, Sunil Dutt had flown down from Delhi so that he could celebrate Raksha Bandhan with the sahelis. Earlier, when Sanjay Dutt was in jail in 1994, Dutt came here straight after a visit to the prison. That kind of commitment towards a social cause is rarely seen in a public figure."
The sahelis were dressed in their traditional best. They carried placards that said, 'Bhai ka bas itna kehna, AIDS se bachiye, behana' (My brother asks only that I protect myself from AIDS).
"Re-socialisation gestures such as Raksha Bandhan help bring these women into mainstream society," said PHO Executive Chairman KC Mohanty.
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