Girish, Prajakta and their countless lieutenants have willingly torn apart the silky case of their life's cocoon and thrown themselves into treacherous social battlefields to help thousands of people over the years. Whether it is rescuing trafficked people sold to brothels, rehabilitating rape survivors, sheltering and educating orphaned children, helping HIV/AIDS patients in need or safeguarding neglected and abandoned children, Snehalaya has done it all. Up Against Darkness not only documents the various lives that have been transformed by the work that Snehalaya does but also shares a glimpse of everything that goes into running an organisation that primarily deals with the marginalised.
The book profoundly brings to light the reality of the sex workers and the struggles their families have to face. Their everyday realities are so harsh that it is unimaginable to even think about them in this human world.
This book brings to light the true realities of the profession, which is otherwise seen from a very clichéd perspective. Up Against Darkness is a very well-researched book and the way Girish and Prajakta have started their work despite odds gives us hope that if the intentions are good then anything is possible. Medha, you have woven the entire journey of their work in a seamless and intriguing manner.
My unbiased opinion about the book is that it will work as a meaningful resource material for hundreds of people worldwide who are concerned about the issue. I couldn't find anything about the book that I would like to change.
Congratulations to the whole team! Girish and Prajakta, this book is the true reflection of your work!
Goonj has also started working with the missed-out communities, which also include sex workers since COVID and this book will definitely help us in understanding the intricacies of the communities.
Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran is the author of Chhatrapati Shivaji's bestselling biography, Challenging Destiny (2016, The Write Place). It was nominated in two categories at the Raymond Crossword Book Awards 2017 and has been translated into Marathi (Zunz Niyatishi) and Hindi (Niyati ko Chunauti). Her book on the sensational world of pharmaceuticals and medicines, based on her personal experiences, Prescription of Life (The Write Place), was launched in 2018. Her other books include Frontiers - a Relentless Battle between Aurangzeb and Shivaji (2018, Penguin Random House) and Life and Death of Sambhaji (2021, Penguin Random House). Frontiers has been translated in Marathi (Ranasangram). Life and Death of Sambhaji has been translated into Hindi (Shivaji Maharaj Ke Suputra ki Shouryagatha). Challenging Destiny and Life and Death of Sambhaji are available as audiobooks.
Human Trafficking is the second most organized crime Lin the world after Drugs Trade and its 150 billion dollar industry. Trafficking for commercial and sexual exploitation or prostitution, forced labour, domestic servitude, organ transplant, circus, camel jockeying, illegal adoption etc, are different purposes for which trafficking by kidnapping or abduction, force, cheating, impersonation and fraud are occurring by taking an advantage of the vulnerability of victims. India as a country is identified as a source, transit and destination for trafficking of different forms.
Sex trade and slavery are viewed differently in most people's Sex minds, thanks to movies. There is reel life, where brothels look like palaces and the women are unbelievably healthy and gorgeous. For instance, in the Hindi film Pakeezah (1972), (Urdu for pure or clean), a breathtakingly beautiful Meena Kumari, playing a courtesan, croons to the song 'Inhi logo ne leh lina dupatta mera', meaning, these people have stolen my stole. As she sings, she dances-her ballooning skirt looking like a lotus in full bloom-on an elaborate set, complete with lavish carpets, exquisite chandeliers, carved pillars and canopied windows. Spellbinding, but complete fiction. Then there is Devdas (2002), in which Madhuri Dixit, as Chandramukhi, dances like an apsara (a celestial maiden) while singing 'Maar dala', meaning, you have destroyed me (with joy). The song and dance inevitably take place in the halls of her palatial brothel, an opulent set that might put even the Victoria Memorial to shame. Is a courtesan a prostitute? Now that is a debatable issue but when we watch these movies, we do get deluded. Hollywood versions are no better. Take Julia Robert's character in Pretty Woman (1990).
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist