The Autobiography of a Sex Worker by Nalini Jameela

Author:Nalini Jameela [Jameela, Nalini]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mobilism
Publisher: Westland
Published: 2007-09-10T00:00:00+00:00

My First Public Speech

The next week, there was a meeting before the Municipal Office. I was given the mike and asked to speak. To tell the truth, it was only then that I understood how tense one becomes when one has to address the public. My hands began to shake with fright. I had no idea what to say. All I knew was that whatever I had to say, I had to say it loud and clear, like the politicians. I picked up the mike and said, ‘We are here for the sex workers’ organisation. We want our rights to be respected. The police shouldn’t beat us. The thugs shouldn’t harass us.’ When I reached this far, the shivering stopped. I went on. ‘We aren’t the only people to commit this crime. There are lawyers who come to us; there are doctors and businessmen. It isn’t fair that all of them are considered respectable and we alone are made into criminals.’

Hearing my speech, those who were scattered far away came close and formed a crowd. They were all agog, curious to know whose name I would mention first! This was a public meeting without a stage. The crowd was almost touching us. I wasn’t sure what to say after that. I put down the mike there, saying, ‘If any of you think I’m wrong, please come up and say so.’

Everyone said, ‘Nalini, you did well.’ That rid me of my fear and shivering and gave me lots of self-confidence. Maitreyan came the next week, having heard of all this. That made me all the more enthusiastic. I’d heard that Maitreyan and Jayashree were active at Thiruvananthapuram; but I didn’t know much about them.

In the end, when the march finally began, out of the three hundred to three–hundred–and–fifty sex workers who were with us, only nine took part. Besides us, there was the lawyer Nandini, Maitreyan, two women who had come with him from Thiruvananthapuram, and Paulson. A march with just ten to fourteen people.

Nandini made announcements from a vehicle in front. If a march is to be a march there must be slogans, of course! Everyone was mum. After walking for some time, I raised a slogan, ‘Police, be just!’ This was a slogan I’d heard in many big, big strikes! I was used to seeing the Marxist party marches.

Molly, who was by my side, began to call out, ‘End police hooliganism!’ I cautioned her, ‘Let’s just have, “Police be just!”, and not “hooliganism”.’ But Maitreyan interrupted. ‘That’s okay,’ he said, ‘you can say “hooliganism”, you don’t have anything to fear.’ Then we shouted whatever came to our tongues and marched. We went around the Tekkinkadu ground and neared the Collectorate. There the police were waiting with their lathis. Maitreyan said that we would raise slogans here once more and then split.

The policemen noticed me. They called Molly aside and asked, ‘Who’s this?’ Though I’d been around the place for some twenty to twenty–six years, the policemen didn’t know me too well.

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