I started sex-work at the age of 24. It was not by choice. I was a widow and my mother-in-law insisted that I gave her Rs 5 every day to look after my kids. The job I had, at a tile factory, fetched me only Rs 3. That’s when an acquaintance of mine introduced me to one Rosechechi, who told me that I will get Rs 50 -- which was a huge amount in the 70s-- if I spent a few hours. She introduced me to a VIP client at a guest house in Trissur. It was the farewell party of a senior police officer.  We spent the whole night with him. Even his driver wanted to have sex with me. The next day, while leaving the guest house in the morning, Rosechechi and I were picked up by the police on charges of prostitution.

 The irony was that the police never raided the guest house when we were with the clients. They were just waiting for their VIP clients to disappear and then arrest us. At the station I was beaten brutally by male police constables. The torture intensified, when I questioned their double standards. There were many instances like this, when we used to get picked up after business hours so that clients could be protected.

So, many were surprised and shocked when I began my book ‘The Autobiography of a Sex-worker’ with the statement “I would like to continue to be a sex worker.” My objective then, and now, is to destigmatise sex work so that the plight of sex-workers can be improved. India has over seven lakh sex workers living on the fringes of the society. I am not forcing anybody into sex work. I look at this profession as a support mechanism for women on the street, who have no means to survive.

NALINI JAMEELA is a former sex worker and state award winning costume director.

*In conversation with Sangeeth Sebastian, senior journalist and founder, Vvox, a digital health clinic. The series is a part of an AKADialog initiative to capture the lives of newsmakers.