Prostitution belt as toilet

The phrase 'prostitution belt as toilet' is the most striking rhetorical weapon in the arsenal of Gangubai Kathiawadi, the legendary brothel madam of Kamathipura. It emerged during a women's conference at Azad Maidan, where she was invited to speak on the condition of women in brothels. The meeting had been called in support of the girl child and the empowerment of women, drawing women from several leading political parties, NGOs, and other organizations. Gangubai, dressed in a white cotton saree, was introduced as the 'president of Kamathipura' and greeted with suspicion. Nervous and unaccustomed to public speaking, she had rehearsed her speech several times during the day, yet felt unprepared before the large crowd. The murmurings of a section of the audience only made her more determined, and she became less nervous as she approached the microphone.

The Speech and Its Opening Gambit

Gangubai stunned her organizers and the audience with her opening line: 'I am a gharwali (a brothel madam) not a ghar todnewali (home wrecker).' She acknowledged that many in the audience viewed her title as a stigma on womanhood, but insisted that this stigma had saved the chastity, integrity, and morality of thousands of women. The crowd grew silent. She continued by arguing that the streets of Mumbai were safer than those of other Indian cities, and that the notorious women of Kamathipura should be partly credited for this. She claimed that by giving themselves to the carnal pursuits of men, sex workers were doing a favor to all women in society, protecting them from attack by blunting bestial male aggression. She drew a parallel between prostitutes and the jawans of the country, who fight endlessly in the battlefield so that citizens remain unharmed, asking why one is rewarded with national honors while the other is insulted and treated like a pariah.

The Toilet Analogy

The climax of her speech came with the toilet analogy. Gangubai declared that nobody would have an answer to her question, because the audience itself was responsible for creating it. She argued that the only solution was to treat sex workers as equals, and that only then would society achieve 'women empowerment'. She pointed out that an orthodox city like Hyderabad could name its red-light area Mehboob ki Mehndi, while Kamathipura drew expressions of disgust in the so-called 'forward-looking' city of Bombay. Then she delivered her final parallel: 'We all keep at least one toilet in our homes so that we do not defecate or urinate in other rooms. This is the same reason why there is a need for a prostitution belt in each and every city.' She made a humble plea to the government to allow red-light areas to co-exist in society. The crowd was immediately on its feet, applauding thunderously, as nobody had ever spoken for the cause of sex workers so convincingly.

The Speaker and Her Authority

The power of the expression derives from the authority of the woman who spoke it. Gangubai was a five-foot-tall brothel madam who owned several brothels and had immense influence over the women who worked in them. When she visited a sex worker's room, other women bowed in respect. She was known for her gold-bordered white sarees, gold-buttoned blouses, gold-rimmed glasses, and an artificial gold tooth, and was the only brothel keeper of her time to own a black Bentley car. Her political connections won her an appointment with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, making her the only local brothel madam to secure an appointment with the head of the country. She never married but adopted several children who lived with her in her small room in Kamathipura 12th Lane, ensuring they received a good education.

The Broader Context of the Expression

The toilet analogy must be understood within the broader context of the book's treatment of women criminals. The book is an attempt to understand the complex minds and psyche of women criminals, without glorifying them. It insists that these women were not blank slates written upon by dangerous male mafia members, and that crime was not only a way of transcending poverty but also a life-saving concept. Gangubai's speech exemplifies this, as she pushed the boundaries of dominant moral codes. The expression also resonates with the book's other depictions of women who performed for audiences, from Tarannum Khan, the pin-up girl of Deepa Bar and Restaurant who captivated patrons with her dance to Kajra Re, to Monica Bedi, who broke down on national television in Bigg Boss 2 to plead for the prize money. Like Gangubai, these women used their bodies, dress, and voice to perform for different audiences, challenging the categories imposed on them. The toilet analogy remains the book's most memorable articulation of the argument that society's contempt for sex workers is a form of hypocrisy, since the institution they condemn is one that society itself depends upon.