I shot her some ten years ago. Rakhi would now be well in her 70s, and that makes her, perhaps, the oldest nautch girl not just in Meerut, but also the whole country.

She was born here in a brothel, and has spent her entire life serving men without ever venturing out. Her room is what Rakhi calls “meri duniya (my world)” and she’s convinced it is where she will meet her end. Despite individual professional rivalries, they are a strong community and care for each other. 

I feel women like Rakhi, in prostitution, flesh trade, whoredom, the world’s oldest profession, wherever you may call, are the most exploited lot. And many of them don’t even consider being exploited. They are the living symbols of everything that’s wrong in society. Though there are controversial theories that hypothesize them as the shock absorber, or a release valve of society. Historically, prostitution (men were also part, but a minority) was integrated into ​mainstream society; the sex trade was legalized, taxed, and even woven into the religious and civic structures of major ancient and medieval civilizations.   

A brothel has a potent energy of its own. Rakhi is a leader, a strong woman, and has come to terms with her reality. When I asked about her clientele, her prompt response was “there are still a lot of crazy men after me.”