Devdasis fall prey to STDs

Sanjeev K Jha / TNN / Feb 3, 2007, 02:48 IST

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According to an NGO report, the sexually-transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS are posing a threat to Devdasis in Bihar.

TELNI (GODDA): The sign outside her door proclaims her as a Devdasi, but there is no temple in the vicinity for this 15-year-old girl to dance. She showcases her skill before customers, who fall prey to her youth and beauty.
Chanda (name changed) belongs to the Gandharva community, who are nautch-girls by tradition. She is one of the scores of courtesans, who reside at Telni village under the Pathargama block of the Godda district.
This village is famous for the people of the Gandharva community, which boasts of its association with the ancient Devdasi tradition. But since there are no temples around, the women take part in private muzras and solicit customers.
According to the locals, the former Hindu king of Godda brought the Gandharvas from the northern parts of the country during the 17th century for adding a touch of class to his court.

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Reason, explains Deepnarain Sah, a social worker of Pathargama: These fair-skinned Gandharvas, known as the descendants of the mythical celestial beings, were well-versed in the classical arts.
The king provided them land and they settled in villages like Lasotia, Mahadeo Bathan and Vishalgarh under the Meherama and Ishipur-Barahat blocks on Bihar-Jharkhand border.
The tradition is, however, under siege. If the reports of some NGOs in the area are any indication, the sexually-transmitted diseases like HIV/Aids are posing a threat to these Devdasis.

But the findings were hushed up as it threatened the thriving flesh trade in the area, said Deepnarain. Pramila, a 16-something nautch-girl, said, "We came to know about the use of contraceptives from some of our clan girls, settled in big cities like Kolkata and Mumbai, but we have no access to it."
Pramila's colleagues, however, get brazen when they try to glorify their profession. "We belong to the mythological Gandharva clan in which no male child survives due to the curse of our kuladevi (deity). We have been involved in flesh trade for the past five generations.
A virgin is sought-after as her first customer pays a hefty price to deflower her," said Poonam, another devdasi. She also claimed that she had received Rs 35,000 last year from a senior police official, for her seven-day outing with him.
Calculation, of course, was very simple for Poonam: Rs 5,000 for 24 hours seva. But the unwarranted deaths in the recent past have foxed these devdasis.Devdasi Sweety's voice gets harsh, when she said: "Last year, at least five deaths were reported from here. Illness means death to us in any case.
If we fall ill, we are left to die."

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