The Hindu : New Delhi News : Robbed of a fleeting glimpse into their country

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Robbed of a fleeting glimpse into their country

By Mandira Nayar

A view of the Shradhanand Marg, or G.B. Road, which was removed from the Republic Day Parade route three years ago. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

NEW DELHI, JAN. 25 . For Rani (name changed), Republic Day was a rare occasion when she could stand at her window to enjoy the view. Looking outside through the barred windows on G.B Road -- Delhi's red-light district -- the Republic Day Parade that passed through this street until three years ago was her only chance to catch a fleeting glimpse of the country that she could never travel. But now the empty road below is one more reminder that she does not count.

Celebrating India's first step towards democracy together with the rest of the country, January 26 was the only day that they got to be citizens. But since the parade bypassed their street, they have been denied even that.

One of the 4,000 women living here, Seema (a brothel owner) remembers her last time she got to see the whole of India. "We used to look forward to the Parade. I can't travel, but I got to see different parts of my country on the `jhankis'. They were beautiful in different colours. There were school kids also who used to dance, I really liked it,'' she remembers.

While the police cite the reason for the re-routing of the Parade now as security concerns, for women like Rani trapped in the dingy confines of their impossibly tiny rooms it reduces Republic Day to any other date. With practically no benefits of citizenship, they are certainly forgotten.

"I really don't think that new governments make any change. Things for us remain the same. We have no water, our street is filthy. It never gets cleaned. There is hardly any electricity,'' she rues. Dressed up everyday with nowhere to go, this was probably one day that was a little different. They might not know the significance of the date, but it did stand out from the rest of their existence because of the Parade.

Fighting for the rights of sex-workers for the past 30 years, the president of Bharatiya Patita Uddhar Sabha, Khairati Lal Bhola, feels that that they should be made to feel part of the country. "The security of the country is of grave concern and should not be taken lightly. But these women should also see the Parade so that they feel proud. We have also started a drive to get them registered as voters,'' he states.

However, they hold no illusions about inclusion of their names on the electoral rolls giving them some semblance of `dignity'. "Izzat is something that even my parents can't give me anymore. Once a girl spends the night out of the house, people say lots of things about her. I don't think it will give me any `izzat', but it is my right,'' says Seema.

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