Pune: Budhwar Peth residents shun discrimination and banish the feeling of “us and them” as they include commercial sex workers and their families for Ganeshotsav festivities. Ravindra Kamble is a social worker and runs Dalit Devadasi Mahila Manavta Sanstha. He is part of Bal Ganesh Mitra Mandal in the area, which carries the tag of India’s third largest red-light district.
He said, “Commercial sex workers (CSW) of Budhwar Peth are like our mothers and sisters. We would not even think of excluding them from Ganeshotsav or any festival, for that matter.” Tejaswi Savekari, director of Saheli Sangh, a sex workers’ collective in Budhwar Peth, told TOI, “Around 15 years ago, Vaibhav Mitra Mandal started to fully include CSWs in the celebrations.
The women not only donated money, but were part of daily puja and aarti.” The area has four mandals — Jai Maharashtra Yuvak Mandal founded in 1956, Veer Hanumaan Mitra Mandal founded in 1959, Vaibhav Mitra Mandal founded in 1968 and Bal Ganesh Mitra Mandal founded in 2000. Today, all the four mandals see active participation by children of CSWs and together celebrate Ganeshotsav with grandeur and inclusivity.
Kamble said he was the third generation in his family to be born in Budhwar Peth. “My grandmother used to be a devadasi and owned a brothel here. Our mandal celebrates festivals like Ganeshotsav and Dahi Handi for the last 10-12 years.
The budget for this year’s Ganeshotsav is nearly Rs80,000, which has been dona.