Download And Enjoy Taboo!: The Hidden Culture Of A Red Light Area, With An Additional Epilogue Designed By Fouzia Saeed Supplied As Print
society has created and reinforced many myths to explain why the phenomenon of prostitution has nothing to do with 'nice people'.
These myths put all the blame on immoral women who are understood to be responsible for tricking honest men into sinful acts.
Our society has also strongly discouraged anyone from questioning these myths or even trying to look at the issue in a realistic manner.
This resistance stems from the unspoken fear that any honest assessment of the situation would uncover the double standards that the South Asian patriarchal system has created for distinguishing 'good' from 'bad' women, thus threatening our society's fake sense of morality.
This book is a journey of discovery into the famous red light district of the Shahi Mohalla the Royal Bazar, or Heera Mandi the market of diamonds.
The phenomenon of prostitution coupled with music and dance performances has ancient roots in South Asia, The areas where the practice is centered have given birth for centuries to many wellknown performing artists, The areas are hubs for creative productions as well as nurture the talents of poets, singers, actors, and the gurus, musicians and composers of classical music.
These places are quite different from the typical 'red light districts' in the west, The social stigma attached to prostitution has led our governments over the years to initiate several brutal attempts to 'eradicate' the phenomenon in the Shahi Mohalla and elsewhere.
However, every effort to curb this phenomenon has only resulted in a destruction of the traditional controls over the practice and the links between prostitution and art.
Ironically, these efforts also served to drive the practice out of its traditional centers and into the 'nicer' parts of the city.
As a result, prostitution now flourishes underground in all parts of Lahore, bereft of ancient rules of conduct and involving thousands of women from all walks of life, vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
The double irony is that while public campaigns for eradication continue the practice of prostitution remains quietly protected by the government just as it has for centuries.
Understanding this paradox is the crux of the book, In order to provide an understanding of the traditional practices of prostitution the book attempts to capture a more realistic picture of the phenomenon through the lives of the people who live in the Shahi Mohalla, the musicians, the prostitutes and their pimps, managers and customers.
The book describes the lives of people who are struggling to make a living by following ancient traditions, yet not knowing clearly where they fit in the larger picture of present day Pakistan.
The book also highlights the contributions that the inhabitants of the Shahi Mohalla have made to our society and to the world of art at large.
By breaking these myths that surround the practice of traditional prostitution, the book helps eradicate a blind spot in our understanding of the power relations associated with gender roles throughout our society.
Some people disapprove of this book based on the feminist style and interpretation, but with the screwed up society we live in, which enslaved women to "honor", it would be ridiculous and unreasonable to disregard this book on that.
this further demonstrate the systematic oppression of women
Anyway, this book tells the story about "hera mandi" also known as shahi mohalla Red District.
It tells the story through the lives of prostitutes, pimps, managers, and people entangled in the area,
The book message can be summed up with the quote from Chanda, a prostitute in the area,
" Gashti, this system has given us such a low status that they've turned us into bloody swear words, but still they come to us for their kicks".
There are some books which break the stereotypes you have ingrained and provide you an insight that changes the way you see yourself and the world around you.
This book “TABOO: the hidden culture of red light area” is one of those books, We have all heard the word “prostitute”, mostly as a slang but nonetheless we often hear it, but it is rarely that we think of them as humans as part of the society.
Talking about prostitutes is one thing even thinking about them is a taboo, Fouzia, the author of book has penned down the life of these prostitutes beautifully, talking about the social hierarchy that exists there, the problems they face and how this very act has been institutionalized over the year.
This book is not just a story or research it is amalgamation of both, Reading this book will help you understand the nexus between prostitution and performing arts, the contribution of Lahores Shahi Mohalla to the entertainment industry.
When you start reading it, you feel as if you have been transported to another world, where life is different yet the struggles are same.
The world where economic considerations make the girl more important, the world with dreams and aspirations that are mostly forbidden in our society, its not just about the act of intimacy, but dancing and singing.
The book also sheds light on how the government policies impacted this area over the years and how the Mohalla is deteriorating over the years.
My favorite part was the last chapter of the book, where the writer brings in the anthropologist within her and describes how patriarchy has institutionalized prostitution in South Asia, “the good women and bad women” notion that exists in society to control the women to behave in certain ways, the scope is not just limited to women in prostitution but women in general and how patriarchy portrays each.
One concept that is discussed here and had always been in my mind is acceptability of abuses containing females, their body parts, and their sexuality.
There is also emphasizes on the use of morality as a means to control sexuality of a women and her expression, which made me eager to read more sociological and anthropological books to understand the world and society better.
I will conclude the review the way the book has been concluded “Two sides of the same coin, one sold in the Mohalla as a “bad woman” in the name of sin and the other sold in as a “good women” in the name of honor and morality, both fulfilling roles laid out for them by the same patriarchal system.
Finally, finished this so emotionally intense book last night, Its kind a book which indulges you wholly in the lives of its characters, Through an intriguing description, makes you feel what characters experience, It is a wonderful thing, no doubt, You laughs instinctively at their jokes, we dreams with them and get happy with them, But then, there are also those terrible moments or experiences which make you suffer too, As this book is sort of a window to the lives and miseries of prostitutes so of course, there are more terrible moments than laughable.
However, unlike life, we can distance ourselves and take a break from that miseries, I think, this is the reason I took a bit long to read it completely,
Overall, this book gives best and authentic insights about whole tradition of prostitution and its link with classical music and dance.
Also, how and why business of prostitution was created at first place, And yes, it also describes that why prostitutes are stigmatized and why not their customers, Very informative!
Highly recommended to everyone!
Warning: It can makes you uncomfortable and depressed with some very very realistic bitter truths as well.
this is a nonfiction that was actually quite insightful to read, really enjoyed the author's writing style as much as her perceptivity, This book by Fouzia Saeed is incredibly illuminating and very important in the context of a country that, on one hand, decries prostitution, and on the other, has a significant population that continues to serve as the clientele of the same industry.
Its refreshing to see how the lives of the residents of Shahi Mohalla are approached in a totally unbiased and unprejudiced manner.
I genuinely believe this type of research can prove to be very beneficial in dispelling harmful narratives against sex workers.
Another excellent thing about this book is that its approached not in a strictly academic manner but is rather a recollection of the authors frequent visits to the Shahi Mohalla district.
This allows the reader to see people working in the sex trade as humans who are very similar to them in their lifestyle.
There was certainly a lack of a thorough analysis but it was a very fascinating read nonetheless, The takeaway is that we should acknowledge sex workers as a part of our society and not try to alienate and ostracise them, which paves way to their marginalisation and never truly eradicates prostitution.
A really informative book which was not boring at all, I would have given itbut the ending was very very forced, The dialogue at the end seemed like a forced role play which I did not like at all, The author draws some interesting conclusions, I will love to know what happened to all the characters in the book, Bought this book from International Urdu Conference
A detailed and decent account about the
people inhabiting Shahi Mohalla in Lahore.
Heera Mandi is a part of Shahi Mohalla, where mostly prostitutes live and carry out their profession,
At the start of the book, the author discusses the struggle and opposition she faced when she announced her research of Lahore's redlight area.
Mostly the backlash she received is from the bureaucrat community,
Later she succeeded in her research of Red light area and published the results in form of a book named 'Taboo'.
The whole book is like storytelling, With each page, you get an insight into the lives of dwellers of the Red light area, Laila, Chanda, Pami, Rani all of them have distinct unfortunate stories, The author explained different communities living in Shahi Mohalla i, e Kanjars, Tawaif, and Mirasi mainly,
I liked the whole book and enjoyed reading every part of it, I love the author's analysis at last about the spread of prostitution, the origin of prostitution, I agree with fouzia's point of involvement of elite people in keeping the world's oldest profession prostitution intact, But there must be other reasons behind prostitution being practiced to date despite strict laws and police checks on such areas.
Good information Taboo is one of a kind for me in that it's the only book that I have read on this topic so far.
Fouzia Saeed has managed to reproduce her interaction with the people living in the Shahi Mohalla without bias or judgement indeed, at times it seems morally bland.
This however, is a reason to celebrate this book,
The book comprises of the author's interactions with the people in the Shahi Mohalla and it does lead to a better understanding of the subculture that once prevailed in that place.
That music and dancing were intricately linked with this business in that community had entered my consciousness but I had never paid serious attention to it.
There are a few heart wrenching stories within these pages, Cruelty, that man is only too happy to visit upon another being figures, Our political masters and the Police, that promote prostitution on the hand, and condemn it on the other are discussed.
However, most of the book tells the stories of the people from the Shahi Mohalla the author formed a relationship with.
Perhaps more than anything else, I have found this book interesting for it lays bare the double standards that Pakistanis are prone to apply when it comes to the two sexes.
We use different rulers, different weights to judge the gravity of an action, It seems as if women are usually the extension of a male's social portfolio, belonging to him in some sense.
One can accuse me of exaggeration on this account but there is a degree of truth in that statement but it confirms what I have observed and found absurd in the past.
Must I lament the needless misery that is to be fate of so many in this sick society I must.
This an intriguing book detailing a woman's view of the Red Light District of Lahore, It is literally like look into a testtube from the outside as the many secrets and cultures of the notorious neighbourhood in Lahore.
We are taken on a journey through a reallife distopia, where women rule and men obey, women are the sellers and men are the buyers, but still it is sad to see that even here it comes out too clear for our liking that women are being oppressed.
It is a haunting account of the lives of the women who live in the 'Shahi Mohala' and how their culture is still part of ours.
Finally after many Years of searching, found this book at Lahore the most interesting thing about this book is that the writer explains her own experiences about how she got to interact with inhabitants of Shahi Muhalla.
At the beginning however, it was so tough to get into their community but she succeeded, How she faced issues from big bulls,
This book not only focuses on the prostitutes but also tries to get the focus on the customers.
How Shahi Muhalla is not just a place for Prostitution but also a place of Art, Music,Dancing
Lives of some girls are discussed in it, How she changes the perspective of her cousins about Shahi Muhalla,
The beautiful thing was some of her discussions
at the end of a few chapters with different people from our societies.
But
what can one say Arent We all the same, Arent we all somehow involved in it,
A Must Read Book,/The subjectmatter is rich and fascinating, but I found the author's handling of her material a little disappointing, While I understand that she was trying for an informal tone, I would have appreciated a bit more exposition upfront about the social structure of the Mohalla.
Also, there were several passages where polemic is disguised as a long conversation in which everyone agrees with one another.
I picked up this book on a whim because I was surprised that my conservative university had a book about prostitution in the "Light Reading" section.
Turns out this was a very good choice because I thoroughly enjoyed this book, The author manages to balance between dedicated research and her own personal perspective, leading us into the world of "taboo" music and dance culture in Pakistan but at the same time, keeps our interest in her own personal experience while studying this topic.
It is actually quite a light read as well, surprising since you would automatically assume a topic about the red light district will be dark and grim.
The author does touch on the negative and darker aspects of the red light area but she does so with respect and thoughtfulness fit for a researcher.
No sensationalism here. The book also has illustrations of the study I don't recall anything NSFW which I find really interesting, A great read for those who love informative books on culture, .