<p>A new book throws light on sex workers in Bengaluru and how their lives have changed over three decades. It is titled ‘Urban Undesirables’.</p>.<p>Neethi P and Anant Kamath have written the book. “It is Bengaluru’s cartography through a sex worker’s eyes,” says Kamath. </p>.<p>Neethi is part of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and focuses on informal women workers. Anant is associated with the National Institute of Advanced Studies. ‘Sociology of technology in India’ is his area of interest. </p>.<p>Together, they interviewed 60 sex workers — men, women and transgender — for the book. </p>.<p>Unlike Mumbai and Kolkata, Bengaluru doesn’t have a dedicated red-light area and sex workers are present throughout the city. Public morality has changed over the years, and sex work is not seen with as much empathy as before, the authors suggest.</p>.<p>The authors focused on four major areas: Majestic, M G Road, K R Market, and Peenya. </p>.<p>The book also features narratives by policemen, street vendors and NGO volunteers.</p>.<p>Aided closely by Sangama, an NGO working with sex workers and sexual minorities, the authors pored over newspaper reports spanning 30 years – to understand how the public views sex workers and whether the perception has changed over time. </p>.<p>From research to fieldwork to writing and publishing – the process took six years, says<br />Neethi. The book looks at how they have had to cope with the lack of physical space and changing morality. With some interviewees, the authors required multiple rounds of discussions. With others, they held group discussions. </p>.<p>Neethi and Anant undertook this project because they feel the story of sex workers remains largely undocumented.</p>.<p>A lot of academic work has been done but ‘Urban Undesirables’ is the first full-length non-fictional volume in the space, they say.</p>.<p>The book is available online and should hit bookstores in a week. It has been published globally. </p>.<p>‘Urban Undesirables’, published by Cambridge University Press, is priced at Rs 705.</p>
<p>A new book throws light on sex workers in Bengaluru and how their lives have changed over three decades. It is titled ‘Urban Undesirables’.</p>.<p>Neethi P and Anant Kamath have written the book. “It is Bengaluru’s cartography through a sex worker’s eyes,” says Kamath. </p>.<p>Neethi is part of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements and focuses on informal women workers. Anant is associated with the National Institute of Advanced Studies. ‘Sociology of technology in India’ is his area of interest. </p>.<p>Together, they interviewed 60 sex workers — men, women and transgender — for the book. </p>.<p>Unlike Mumbai and Kolkata, Bengaluru doesn’t have a dedicated red-light area and sex workers are present throughout the city. Public morality has changed over the years, and sex work is not seen with as much empathy as before, the authors suggest.</p>.<p>The authors focused on four major areas: Majestic, M G Road, K R Market, and Peenya. </p>.<p>The book also features narratives by policemen, street vendors and NGO volunteers.</p>.<p>Aided closely by Sangama, an NGO working with sex workers and sexual minorities, the authors pored over newspaper reports spanning 30 years – to understand how the public views sex workers and whether the perception has changed over time. </p>.<p>From research to fieldwork to writing and publishing – the process took six years, says<br />Neethi. The book looks at how they have had to cope with the lack of physical space and changing morality. With some interviewees, the authors required multiple rounds of discussions. With others, they held group discussions. </p>.<p>Neethi and Anant undertook this project because they feel the story of sex workers remains largely undocumented.</p>.<p>A lot of academic work has been done but ‘Urban Undesirables’ is the first full-length non-fictional volume in the space, they say.</p>.<p>The book is available online and should hit bookstores in a week. It has been published globally. </p>.<p>‘Urban Undesirables’, published by Cambridge University Press, is priced at Rs 705.</p>