In the land where Kamasutra originated, marginalising sex workers is what defines the 21st century India. We are progressing in myriad fields of science and arts but we are deliberately failing in humanity. India has been through a lot. From fighting the dreaded caste system (the battle still continues) to accepting the Gen Y definition of culture and freedom, India is a land of fighters. We fight for rights,we fight for our needs, we fight for freedom, we fight for respect. There is a fight that everyone engages themselves into.
Before starting the debate on smart cities, let’s take a moment and reminiscence about our city. DELHI. The very first imagery of the city is linked to India Gate. From India Gate, the mind consciously travels along the Raj Path to the view of glorious Rashtrapti Bhawan. Then there is Qutub Minar, Humayoun’s Tomb, Lodhi Gardens, Mughal Gardens, Hauz Khas , Connaught Place and what not that defines Delhi. Delhi is culturally very rich. It’s tapestry is woven with the victories and battles lost, with religious diversity that resides in it and the spectrum of faces that adorns the demography of Delhi constituted by immigration of people from other states of India. These are all the colourful threads of Delhi that catches the attention the most. Among these threads are some dark ones that resides in the dark corners of Delhi.
Somewhere in the lanes of Delhi, lies an area with different social atmosphere. From wide lanes of Lutyens Delhi to narrow streets of Old Delhi, one stumbles into an area socially prohibited. One enters it at one’s own risk. The dark allies,the crowded built work, peeping faces and some exposing bodies defines the area. People turn a blind eye or frown or have their eye brows arched to the maximum when somebody mentions this area. By now you must have guessed it what the area is. G.B.ROAD. Such a taboo it is. But as Shakespeare said ,” What’s in the name?”. I’ll say everything. The name- G.B. Road, flashes certain disturbing images of the place.
It’s dark,dingy,uncomfortable,unpleasant,unknown faces with daunting stares crowd the area. The name of a place certainly impacts a person’s mind. Sample this- Vasant Kunj- Posh Society, Dwarka- Residential hub, Noida- Industrial plus residential sector, Gurgaon- I.T. hub and Mall capital, Millenium city, Chitranjan Park- Delhi’s Kolkata.
One must think,what is a city planner or an architect would do in such a place? Or what role does architecture plays in this? To satisfy sexual desires? Take out the “deadline” frustration? Or just the young blood excited to explore? Or simply Lost? Lost. This seems to be a plausible explanation for this. Maybe while aimlessly lingering in the over-crowded streets of Old Delhi, somebody pushed me hard enough to make me land into red light area of Delhi-G.B.Road.
The area is not at all inviting. Try to recollect your first ever experience of watching a porn video. We all must have had our eyes cringed and lips pursed the sight of two people passionately making out. Same is the case with this area. One might feel the escalated desire to once visit the place, but when you enter it you want to escape. ESCAPE. The word flashes before your eyes. RUN. DON’T ENTER. DON’T RETURN. These phrases haunt you.
Now pause. PAUSE. This is what we, as visitors to the area, feel. Think of the people living there. Look at the demography of the place. These are the people which are the rejects of the society. Transgenders, sex workers, drug addicts, homosexuals, small scale petty smugglers live and work there. That area belongs to the rejects of the society. As budding architects or even as a lay man we all are aware of human mind space. Nobody wishes to be in a profession where they sell their bodies to earn. Who wants to be socially judged? Who wishes to be treated as rejects or worms? We realize that there are circumstances that develop which forces people to adopt a practice like prostitution.
But is prostitution good or bad? This question is subjective. The answer varies from person to person. Can’t really blame people for not accepting a practice as natural as breathing for the society has set such impossible standards of being good/ideal. Dress sensible, expose less, talk less, complain less, argue less, work hard, listen to others, don’t be a rebel are some of the guidelines to follow in order to be identified as a good person that gets social acceptance. These are the people who abide by the rules of the society. But what about those who challenge it? They instantly get judged and labeled as “bad elements”.And one must stay away from these so called bad elements. But one must not forget the fundamental of change requires rebellion and breaking of rules. Change again can be good or bad. But Change of any type requires resistance to the functioning of a system.
So this brings us back to the topic of whether ,prostitution is good or bad? Some say Bad. Let’s focus on this “bad” first. They have their reasons for identifying prostitution as a bad practice. They say (the people), “ An act of making love should be done within the premises of 4 walls in a 12X12 ft room,where nobody concerns to them. Publicly exposing bodies is not culturally accepted in India. Such practices are illegal. These people deserve to stay in such places as they don’t value human etiquette. They sell their bodies for money as they have no shame. They promote unhealthy lifestyle. All are illiterates . They just want to distract people and extract as much money as possible from the rich. They don’t care about our culture, why should we care about them!”
Well, that’s enough to set an image of a place one might have never visited ever. This is human psychology. We interpret and say things based on our experiences. Again experiences are pleasant and unpleasant. So, when we express such harsh reality to onto the minds of young people like us, a sense of awe and disgust arises simultaneously. You can’t deny the urge to explore a place like this but somewhere at the back of your mind you restrain your impulses because “what will society think” thought crosses your mind. Bear one thing in mind, society always judges.Even if you lay in your couch causing no family or national troubles, society will jump into action and judge you for being a liability. Or if you are a rebel, working for a change, then also society wishes to judge you. So no matter what, it is the sole duty of the society to judge. So even if you have guilty pleasure,explore them.
So coming back to the topic. Now let’s see what people who consider prostitution a “healthy practice” have to say. “Its good. It’s natural. People have the right to chose. Not everyone is forced into it. Some come into it by their own informed choice. In a developing nation, one must accept this as a part of a functioning city. Who doesn’t have sexual desires? Everyone! It’s still better than begging or stealing. At least, they are able to provide shelter and meal to their families. There is no shame when you earn your penny.”
This sets a positive image. This Response makes you feel good about people. There have been debates where the banning of their practice were in favour of the motion whereas some contemplated the move.
Every rose has its thorn. Even a part of me is divided on this. A part of me says to abolish the practice and give them other fruitful and healthy employment options. But a part of me screams that why not make what they do a better lifestyle? This thought frequents me a lot. If one can’t provide an alternative, why not improve the living or working standards for them.
THINK! I really want you to think. They have families. Their families have dreams different from what they are accustomed to see. Some may appreciate,some may not.
Now let’s again question why is a budding architect even doing here ? Or why even bother with this ? I mean, architecture is about structures not prostitution or any practice for that matter. Am I trying to seek attention? Well, yes and no. Yes, because I want to divert the thought process of the people and make them or even try to make them think multidimensional. Everything around us concerns an architect. The furniture you sit on or the park you play in or the vegetation of a place or simply a bench in a corner of a park or colour scheme of a structure or even a room or the climate of the place or how the wind pattern influences the space or how spaces are conceived. EVERYTHING. Everything concerns us. We are not just about bricks,mortar,cement,R.C.C.,aesthetics but also about “shaping minds”, shaping thoughts, designing spaces that are productive but above all, we are also about Building Lives.
Yes. BUILDING LIVES . Sigmund Freud dominated our syllabus to help us realise how architecture is not just about drafting lines on a piece of paper or now-a-days giving line commands on AutoCad, but also about how we (as an artist) wish people to view or interpret our work by consciously or unconsciously targeting their mind’s cognitive areas.
Spaces unconsciously affect us. Sample this- There are no signages at Connaught Place but the architecture woven creates a movement pattern as such we walk along the colonnade. The Imperial architecture with bright white splash on façade slaps an image of a place of sophistication on our minds.The Doric columns stand firm to the test of time and the arches frown at the changing lifestyle.A beggar sitting in a paan stained corner of a block right across an A.C. showroom with glass shutters. C.P. used to be an administrative zone. And now, it’s all commercial. Well, maybe Ar. Edward Lutyens knew this while designing Delhi. The purpose of writing the above is to explain how functionality of a place changes. It may not be the same. Factors that affect this are a plenty and to name some are demography,political influences,economic strata, geography,etc.
Now you must have understood what exactly the study deals with. Why not change the functionality of a stagnant place like the red light district and weave an urban fabric that connects the two different social spheres together. Not entirely change the functionality but pro-create a bio-sphere in that zone that helps the people living/working there. Why not design social space that transcends itself in the already existing city. Rather than treating it as a socially prohibited space let’s treat it as a transition space that everybody feels comfortable enough to pass by.
This brings the focus on:
ARCHITECTURE IS NOT JUST ABOUT DESIGNING SPACES BUT ALSO ABOUT BUILDING LIVES
HINA SHARMA JOURNALS 