The Story of the Brothels at GB Road
Culture
Delhi
with Gaurav Sharma
Synopsis
This walk is one of our most researched walks and took over 3 months to develop. It is an effort to understand the journey that the courtesans of Delhi have traversed in last 300 years to the brothels of GB Road.
Chawri Bazar was a promenade street of old Delhi with sprawling mansions of the Tawaifs of the bygone era. Besides their stunning beauty, charm and dance these Tawaifs were endowed with fiery wit which cast a magic spell over Kings, Nawabs, Poets and Sahibs.
On this walk, we will try to identify the last remaining Kotha’s belonging to the Tawaif culture in Chawri Bazar while unravelling the stories of the women who were categorized into four social groups. We will try to understand the fall from grace of this institution which was a result of the moral censorship of Christian missionaries, the misconstrued notion of civilizational inferiority on part of western educated Indians and, the greed to acquire prized properties of Tawaifs which ultimately forced them out of city limits to the brothels of GB Road.
At GB Road we will understand how the British regulated these Red Light areas and what they did to those who reminded them of their own sinful activities. Despite its status as a Red Light area in the post-independence period, the city’s elite continued to visit GB road for singing and dancing sessions and this still continues today. While understanding how, all of a sudden it became shameful to be at GB road, while trying to find out what led women into these brothels. When the Tawaifs of Chawri Bazaar used to wake up late in the morning, why did the courtesans of GB road go to sleep early in the morning? While rooms were reserved for amorous liaisons why the women never had rooms of their own in brothels? Why the women at GB Road only wanted daughters but not sons? And finally we will discover why GB road is not just a Red Light area.
Chawri Bazar was a promenade street of old Delhi with sprawling mansions of the Tawaifs of the bygone era. Besides their stunning beauty, charm and dance these Tawaifs were endowed with fiery wit which cast a magic spell over Kings, Nawabs, Poets and Sahibs.
On this walk, we will try to identify the last remaining Kotha’s belonging to the Tawaif culture in Chawri Bazar while unravelling the stories of the women who were categorized into four social groups. We will try to understand the fall from grace of this institution which was a result of the moral censorship of Christian missionaries, the misconstrued notion of civilizational inferiority on part of western educated Indians and, the greed to acquire prized properties of Tawaifs which ultimately forced them out of city limits to the brothels of GB Road.
At GB Road we will understand how the British regulated these Red Light areas and what they did to those who reminded them of their own sinful activities. Despite its status as a Red Light area in the post-independence period, the city’s elite continued to visit GB road for singing and dancing sessions and this still continues today. While understanding how, all of a sudden it became shameful to be at GB road, while trying to find out what led women into these brothels. When the Tawaifs of Chawri Bazaar used to wake up late in the morning, why did the courtesans of GB road go to sleep early in the morning? While rooms were reserved for amorous liaisons why the women never had rooms of their own in brothels? Why the women at GB Road only wanted daughters but not sons? And finally we will discover why GB road is not just a Red Light area.
Target Audience History, Culture and Story enthusiasts!
Meeting/Start Point Chawri Bazaar Metro Station gate no. 3
Note
Meeting/Start Point Chawri Bazaar Metro Station gate no. 3
Note
- Minors (<18 years old) are not allowed to attend this walk
- Students (Graduate and above) can attend this walk for a discounted fee. A valid institution ID card will need to be presented to avail the student discount
- Please contact us on the indicated numbers for any information or assistance
Gaurav Sharma's Profile
Gaurav was born in 1987 and has been a lifelong Dilliwala. He grew up amidst the multilayered culture of Delhi. He has a degree in History (honours) from Dayal Singh College, University of Delhi and subsequently he enhanced his passion for history by completing the 'INDIA: ART & CULTURE' certificate from the National Museum Institute. His experience of working in art galleries gave him a fair idea of what art connoisseurs look for. He was a history consultant with the TIMES Newspaper in Education and had a short stint at Khalsa college, St. Stephens Colleges and the Department of History at Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Delhi. His long experience of researching on historical personalities has lent him enough credentials to narrate historical events in a well researched/factual and storytelling manner.
2 Hours
Daily
Daily
Contact to Book
+91 95828 91707
+91 98186 88010
