Rangapanchami is celebrated five days after Holi. The fair is attended by lakhs of pilgrims from the nearby States of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan that takes place at the Janki Mata Temple in Kareila village, Ashoknagar district of Bundelkhand region. The main attraction is the Rai dance—characterized by fast, rhythmic footwork and swirling motions around the Mridangam (a traditional drum) and the Dholak—performed by the Bedia women as an act of devotion or a celebration of fulfilled wishes or mannat.

Traditionally, many of the Bedia dancers were sex workers. Bedia settlements virtually institutionalized prostitution, to many families was the primary catalyst responsible for generating livelihood. Things have changed, or at least changing, but the social stigma is sticky. Their reputation precedes the dancers. They are conflated with sex work despite varied initiatives of the government and civil society to try separate the folk dance from exploitation. Rai dance, in spite of the social stigma, is an integral to the cultural heritage of the region of Bundelkhand. And in recent times, is performed by both men and women across multiple communities and castes removed from sex work.

But when I went there, for a brief while, ten years ago, saw them in action, ecstatic performances. Later, money was exchanged, deals were struck. Bedia community has no qualms about it, to them there’s no moral question attached. Prostitution is a legitimate profession, and livelihood is to be made.