Sonagachi of Calcutta in 1984 - "Courtesans galore, slightly different from "Devdas" calcutta of the 1920's"

OLD SAILORS PROVERB- "Sail the seven seas and taste and admire the exotica of every land."

SONAGACHI" in 2017 :- "Shobhabazar Sutanuti" is the nearest metro train station to "Jatindra  Mohan Avenue road  in Kolkatta that is the entry into the "Gully's" of "SONAGACHI" .       

In 1984  had travelled by "Geetanjali Express" to join a ship in Calcutta as i was employed in the "Merchant Navy" as a "Marine engineer".This was my first visit to the city and was boarded into the historical "Great Eastern Hotel " at "Old Courthouse street" for a few days before joining the ship at "Kidderpore Port". This hotel had the word "HISTORY" written on every wall as it was built in 1840 much before Mumbai's "Taj Mahal hotel", but sadly, was a monolithic loss making hotel in 1984 gradually de-generating and later sold to Bharat hotel groups in 2006.Akin to the Mumbai Taj Mahal hotel expansion in 1970's, the new hotel will have a new building with the historic 1840 structure remaining unmodified but will be renamed the "Lalit Great Eastern Hotel" .

Recollecting memories of 1984 is my brief narration of a night at Calcutta's most famous red-light locality, "SONAGACHI".Refreshed myself in my hotel room  and after "Touring" the "Great Eastern Hotel" went on a routine "sight-Seeing " exploration of Calcutta city in the main "Chowringhee locality".We were put up in the hotel for 2 days and hence on the next day made a "Excursion" to the infamous "Sonagachi", the reddest of red-light localities and littered with numerous true-life "Devdas" and "Umrao Jaan" Story's" akin to Mumbai's Kamatipura.
Boredom and inquisitiveness forced me into a "Rest house" and there i spent the night with a courtesan who reminded me of "Sinbad the Sailors" adventures of the "sexual kind"!The most memorable feature of this skillful lady was her gleaming set of bad teeth, stained with tobacco juice, a common and tragic habit of courtesans.
The next morning i returned to my hotel, a much experienced man with lesser inhibitions.
Calcutta city holds very fond memories for me as i later returned to this port numerous times spending months on the ship while she discharged or loaded on the "Hooghly River", a beautiful river at night with the "Maji's(Film Amar Prem scenes)" gently plying their small canoes between the ships and Hooghly docks.
SONAGACHI of Calcutta leaves a life-long impression either good or bad to any person visiting it, akin to Mumbai's kamatipura. you either hate it or like it,but, you can never ignore it.

"THE EUNUCHS OF JUHU - A DARK HIDDEN WORLD"

Eunuchs are the most feared and ridiculed marginalized people all over the World and since centuries have been used to guard private harems and the concubines of royalty.
Juhu beach during the early 1980's was a locality which boasted of the best film star addresses as well as some of the best "middle-class Brothels" frequented by decent couples unable to have sex at home in congested housing as well as collegians and single businessmen in lure of the "One Night stand".
Once, sometime in 1982 Sam,Mustafa,Adil, Pinaki and myself went to Juhu on our normal weekend "Freakouts" which consisted of an innocent tour of the beach,a camel or horse ride later strolling aristocratically for a "Pee" into a "5-Star hotel" and then a  "Dabba Snack".
That day we spotted a few beautiful "Girls" giving us the "Green Signal" for interaction which Adil quickly seized by the scruff of the opportunity.
These women spoke in chaste Hindi and we mistook them for "filmi Extra's" on a look out for "out-of-Films" entertainment."Dance-Bars" had not yet made their entry into the "Singles" social scene in Mumbai during the early 1980's and "Slip-Disc" in Colaba now extinct was the plush "Sin Joint", hence 'filmi Extra's" were considered as good as next to the "Real Mcoy or duplicate!".
These women were quickly befriended by our group and after a few snacks at "Sea Princess hotel" were later taken for a "Sex Siesta" in a motel which no longer exists in 2009, a swanky restaurant having replaced it.
After approximately 2 hours the group came out, embarrassed and blushing with their "Girlfriends" giggling.
I never was into "Whoring Episodes" during this period as the thoughts of "Male virginal purity" until marriage and strict middle-class catholic upbringing forbade such sinfull thoughts, let alone indulgence.
Later, the next day Mustafa told me that the so called "Beautiful Girls" were in fact "Eunuchs" and that they were forced to have sex with them.
Till today, that particular day somewhere in 1982 where all of us males got hoodwinked into believing that a bunch of "EUNUCHS" were actually "Beautiful Girls" is as fresh as yesterday.In 2013, the era of Internet and cable television has once more brought the undecipherable World of the elusive Eunuch into the limelight through "Television Plays".I wonder what the "ORIGINAL EUNUCHS" have to say about the "ACTOR EUNUCHS" playing them in "REEL LIFE" and also pocketing a hefty moolah!

The Brothel Manuscripts - Communal harmony , a fact of "Brothel Life"

Name the festival or religion and it was a reason for decorating the brothel,attracting customers and boosting income, most prominent being new year festivities.
Alas, this was till the "Great H.I.V Epidemic" and recent, "Economic apocalypse-2008/09" took its toll on "Sin Streets",impoverishing a majority of the cheap streetwalkers while reducing the flamboyance of the wealthier and more sophisticated "Rest houses".
Shanti Das has spent manny a "New Year" in these "Sin Houses" and happier for the same as he is still very much alive and has not cotracted "A.I.D'S", but, gradually maturing into "Sexual Old age"!
Till date, unlike the infamous actor/servant rape case that was "Hot media news "in 2009  or the bizarre "RAPE FIXING" of womanizer/Journalist Mr Tarun.J.Tejpal in 2013  not a single woman has had any complaint against Shanti. Das for either molestation or "Evil looks" of carnation. Shanti Das has a simple philosophy for sex,quote,"When horny always visit the "Whore Joint" as it will save you needless "skirt chasing" expenses as well as court attendances if involved in a "Failed Marriage" or "Attempted Rape".Now only if India's famed Independent journalist Mr Tarun.Tejpal had to obey Shanti.Das's "SEX RULE BOOK" then he wouldn't have blotted his career with a stupid joker case of "ATTEMPTED RAPE IN A LIFT  How much horny can a man get than trying to rape a woman in a lift ? Shame on you Mr Tarun.J.Tejpal.Read his biography to understand his importance in the journalistic World.Worse, he is a married man with children  and not some lonely , horny bachelor! HA HA HA HEE HEE HEE !Link on Journalist Tarun.J.Tejpal : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarun_Tejpal .If only all would- be rapists and women molesters heeded Shanti Das's advice ,then, the World would be a pleasant and safer place for women.In the World of "SEX" Mr Shati.Das remains my hero, a very practical man of the unspoken pleasures of humans.The service performed by "Whores" in maintaining law and order in society has been very much underestimated and tragically, the oldest profession on planet earth will exist until "Men" exist !

PHOTO:- KAMATHIPURA LOCALITY WITH THE FAMOUS "Behram BEER RESTAURANT" as seen on New Years Eve.(Monday 31-12-2012).
Touche! Topi!

"Sakina Biao and Shanti Das" :-

Sakina Biao was one of the fairest and most beautiful woman in "Taklya Gully",a typical pathani kashmiri, tragically a common whore in one of the "Numbered Joints" in "Pathli Gully" of Shukhlaji Street.
Her origins were Kashmiri, hence the "Albino white fairness", besides, a good host and Shanti Das's proud conquest, although a "Purchased prize" and not one conquered by love.
I used to always wonder as to the reasons of beautiful women like Sakina Biao winding up in cheap brothels of Mumbai for a career that barely lasts a few years and when most of the times, "Retirement" means either "H.I.V +ve" or replacement by younger women.
Sakina Biao's reasons for being in the brothel was political reasons as she confessed that she was happier seducing male clients rather than living under curfews and gambaling with death in Kashmir.
Myself and Shanti Das have enough genuine sleaze sources material that can make Gregory Roberts "Shantaram" seem a fairytale and hence thanks to the "Internet" and "Blogging" at least some anecdotes can be retold for posterity.