For a hearth & home...

For generations, the Malakheda hamlet in Rajasthan has seen widespread prostitution with women passing the practice down to their offspring, who frequently end up lacking access to quality healthcare and education, writes Parul Kulshrestha

A room facing the road among the row of houses next to the highway had a Nat community woman wearing makeup and dazzling clothing peering out waiting for customers. This is just another day in the life of most women from the Nat community in Malakheda hamlet in Alwar district of Rajasthan as prostitution is a hereditary occupation here. However, when it comes to choosing a partner to start a family, the Nat community women are picky and choosy and will not settle for just about anybody. Marriage is rarely an option for them.

For years, women in the Nat tribe have engaged in prostitution as a means of subsistence. The women can be seen waiting for their clients or “guests” at their homes which are located outside the Malakheda hamlet. Unmarried women from these households work in this field, and while they don’t have much of a say because of financial constraints, these women are picky about who they choose as a partner to have children with.

Roshni Raj Nat (40) has three children from her lover she met while working in a dance bar in Mumbai. “He frequented the pub, helped me figure out things in the city, and we became close over time,” Roshni remarked and added that she had her kids while she lived in Mumbai for seven years. After she went back to Malakheda, her partner continued to stay in touch and would call to check on the kids but when Roshni decided to shift to her village permanently, they lost contact.

While some women lose touch with their former lovers, some continue to be in a relationship with them for the sake of the kids. For Kajal Raj Nat (24) it was not her first choice to be in this profession. Like her sister, she wanted to get married but was looking for financial independence.

“I decided it would be beneficial for my family since I wanted to make money. There is someone I adore. He looks after me and our two kids. He cares about our welfare, but since he is married, he can’t give us enough time,” Kajal said. The wife of the man she is having an affair with has an objection to their relationship but as he refused to end things with Kajal, they can take it forward.

“He has a cloth shop in the nearby village. I keep doing this work and he visits twice a week and sends money regularly for our needs,” adds Kajal.

The suitable man

It’s tough for a woman to get married once she enters this career. Since she is still single, having a child is her only way to settle down. A majority of the women in the neighbourhood have children with long-term partners. Some of them do get pregnant unintentionally if the condom ruptures, but they are against getting an abortion.

“We believe that we haven’t committed a sin and thus need not go in for an abortion. We keep the baby but use condoms for precaution. We have regular medical check-ups as well for any sexually transferable diseases,” said Kajal.

Madan Meena, the honorary director of the Adivasi Academy, Gujarat who works with nomadic tribes, noted that this trend is seen in most prostitution-practicing cultures.

“This makes children feel safe and a part of the family. Before independence, women from the Nat group worked for the landlords. Women in these communities took to prostitution after 1947. In the Bedia and Nat community, it is becoming more common to look for a suitable man to have a child. As the women who engage in this work do not marry or are unable to obtain employment elsewhere, they prefer someone who has a stable income to raise children.

For the mothers, raising these kids is also a challenge. Children adopt their mother’s name in school, and because they go by the surname “Nat”, villagers are aware of their paternity. Many of these women mention their brother’s or grandfather’s name on the birth certificate wherever the father’s name is required. Meena Devi Nat, a 70-year-old mother of two daughters and a son, described the challenging times she experienced following the death of her partner. She raised three kids but was unable to provide for their schooling. Both the daughters work in the sex industry, while the boy works with builders in the construction sector. “I am unable to educate them. We would not have been able to subsist if I had married them because married women do not engage in sex work. Men in our neighbourhood are not typically given crucial jobs by the locals. Women must shoulder duties since men barely make any money,” claimed Madan. Some women here prefer to only look for a man with whom they can start a family, no strings attached. Rachna Raj Nat, 22, has been working in this field for five years. She wants to start a family in accordance with her mother’s wishes because she is her mother’s only child. “Koi aadmi nahi mil raha jisse bacchha kar sakoon (I cannot find a man worthy to have a child). I have some guests who are frequent visitors but no one is stable enough to have a child with,” said Rachna.

No taboo, this

Rachna and her mother reside at the home of her maternal uncle. Her relative lives in Malakheda with his wife and two kids while he works in Mumbai. The wife of Rachna’s cousin, Anjali Raj Nat, has never worked in this field. “I’m from a village called Nagalia, and no Nat household there engages in prostitution. Despite the fact that we do not view prostitution as taboo, women have been engaging in it in our community for decades. My husband insists that our children continue their studies as we don’t want our kids working in this field, Anjali remarked.

Sonam Raj Nat (37), who has been fortunate to still have a partner who cares for her, believes most of their lovers disappear after a few years. Sonam met him while she was working at a dance bar in Mumbai. They fell in love, and he fathered three children, but never got married since his family would not have approved of their relationship. “He is a good man. Although he lives in Mumbai, he travels to Jaipur every month, where I take my kids to meet him. His family has urged him to get married, but he has declined,” and adds that he calls her his family. A man on a bike suddenly appears to ask about her, but she tells him to come back later. “My partner is unaware of the prostitution I still engage in. He warned me not to ever lie to him, but what can I do? I have to look after my parents and two brothers. How will my family survive if I don’t work? So I never allowed him to come to Malakheda. If he ever learns about this, he will be devastated, Sonika states. Some women though lacked the good fortune to give birth. Anita Raj Nat, 60, looks after her niece and nephews while residing with her brother’s family. It still hurts to be unable to have a child. “I had a 20-year relationship with a man. He resides in the next village with his wife and kids. We visited several doctors, but sadly I was unable to conceive. I ended my relationship with him because I had had enough of his alcohol addiction. He still comes by occasionally. We discuss our families, lives but that’s that,” adds Anita. As guests prefer younger girls, she had to quit the profession at the age of 50, she signs off.