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Without Prejudice: Epic Tale of a Mumbai Bar Dancer
Is a woman’s body her own? How far does her freedom extend? What can she do when social traditions, laws of the land and above all, prejudices of individuals, bind her down; make her a slave to her own identity and turn her into a commodity to be bought and sold? How can she turn back the tidal wave of social events set loose by the origins and consequences of various social traditions? These and other questions rise in the mind of the reader who navigates the pages of the novel and follows the life of Pallavi, through her eyes and the eyes of the two men who play pivotal roles in her odyssey – Rajkumar and Roy, characters the author has lovingly sketched, as he takes the reader through a journey in time.
316 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2017
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Devasis ( Devasis Chattopadhyay)
2 books5 followersDevasis ( Devasis Chattopadhyay) is an Author, Columnist, Corporate Reputation Adviser and Brand Strategist.
He was born in Kolkata a decade after India attended her independence. His father Nityananda was an executive in a Public-Sector Undertaking and an amateur flute player trained under renowned Maestro Pannalal Ghosh. His mother Sadhana was a homemaker.
Devasis did his graduation in commerce from Calcutta University. He started his work-life as an insurance broker. Thereafter, he did his post-graduate diploma in PR. And, he chose his career in advertising and PR.
Devasis is a bilingual writer and writes both in Bengali and English. He began writing free-lance non-fiction features since mid-1980s, and continued writing them in various Indian newspapers, web portals, and magazines. His specialisations in feature writings are on facets of his birthplace - Kolkata, and his professional calling- Public Relations & Communications.
In 2017 Devasis published his maiden novel – 'Without Prejudice' (Niyogi Books), a roman-à-clef.
'Without Prejudice' received critical acclaim from the majority of cross-section of traditional Indian media as well as new-age Bloggers and readers.
Recently Devasis ( Devasis Chattopadhyay) has published his 2nd book and first non-fiction narrative history book on facets of 19th century Kolkata - Harry Hobbs of Kolkata and Other Forgotten Lives ( niyogi Books).
He was born in Kolkata a decade after India attended her independence. His father Nityananda was an executive in a Public-Sector Undertaking and an amateur flute player trained under renowned Maestro Pannalal Ghosh. His mother Sadhana was a homemaker.
Devasis did his graduation in commerce from Calcutta University. He started his work-life as an insurance broker. Thereafter, he did his post-graduate diploma in PR. And, he chose his career in advertising and PR.
Devasis is a bilingual writer and writes both in Bengali and English. He began writing free-lance non-fiction features since mid-1980s, and continued writing them in various Indian newspapers, web portals, and magazines. His specialisations in feature writings are on facets of his birthplace - Kolkata, and his professional calling- Public Relations & Communications.
In 2017 Devasis published his maiden novel – 'Without Prejudice' (Niyogi Books), a roman-à-clef.
'Without Prejudice' received critical acclaim from the majority of cross-section of traditional Indian media as well as new-age Bloggers and readers.
Recently Devasis ( Devasis Chattopadhyay) has published his 2nd book and first non-fiction narrative history book on facets of 19th century Kolkata - Harry Hobbs of Kolkata and Other Forgotten Lives ( niyogi Books).
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 26, 2018
This review is also available to read on Quint (https://goo.gl/kW27kx)
At thirteen, Munia has just had her first period when her so-called father sells her off to Babulal Dadua, headman of their bedia community – and a pimp. Without Prejudice by Devasis tracks the journey of this young girl from an indiscreet village in the heart of Chambal Valley, to becoming Pallavi Singh, one of the most famous bar dancers of Mumbai.
In his debut novel, the author not only commentates on the social stigma attached to the profession of bar dancers in India, but also asks some pertinent questions – is a woman’s body her own? How far does her freedom extend? What can she do when social traditions, laws of the land and above all, prejudices of individuals, bind her down; make her a commodity to be bought and sold? How can she turn back the tidal wave of social events set loose by the origins and consequences of various social traditions?
Without Prejudice, which took about eight years of intensive research, had initially been written in the non-fiction format, the author tells me. It was however while revising its second draft that he saw a storyline emerging – one that celebrated the triumph of human spirit. “It is the story of a socially excluded yet courageous young girl, a maverick, scheming yet lion-heart, middle-aged mentor, and an introverted, sincere young man, surrounded by years of taboo and social exclusion. So, instead of a non-fiction, I wrote a novel,” says Devasis of his book – which, by the way, has a nice romantic angle to it.
But, why did he write about bar dancers when he could have very well written about anything else? “Well, the problem is that whatever we know about these girls is fed to us by the administration. Look at the media reports, they only carry versions released by the police. Where is the reportage from the dancers’ point of view?” Devasis argues – and I cannot not agree to that, considering as a book around this theme was long overdue, more so after Maharashtra government’s ban on dance bars in 2005 that rendered about “one hundred thousand dancers redundant”. Just as I am made aware of this statistic, I begin to wonder if Devasis’s characters were inspired by real life.
“Yes,” he answers, “I have met a number of bar dancers while researching for the book.”
And, was it easy to get information out of them?
“The research was very difficult,” he says without mincing words. “This world is shrouded by a blanket of silence. Very difficult to penetrate. But, once you know the dancers, you can see that they are as gracious and intelligent and full of empathy as any other human being. They have to trust you. Because of taboo attached to their social status, either they tend to avoid mainstream or get covertly aggressive/defensive in social situations.”
The book has an interesting array of characters and a fast-paced narrative that packs a lot of facts alongside fiction, and asks many questions. Here is an excerpt from the book:
“As he watched, Roy felt questions rise unbidden in his mind. How did such beautiful girls land up in a dance bar? Popular belief held that most of these girls had been forced into the profession, owing to physical threats or economic compulsions. But what compelling circumstances made them stay? While interacting with so many customers every day, they could reach out for help. Did they do that? What was the pattern of trafficking? How did the supply chain work? Roy was not convinced that brute force alone could be the reason why the girls adhered to the system…He reasoned that if dancers in bars were not in the hard-core flesh trade, then why would there be coercion or fear at all?”
As I delve deeper into the story, it becomes apparent that the author is eager to reduce the prejudices that exist against the bar dancers. When I ask him if that was his intention, he answers me with an emphatic “Yes”. “Those who discuss or write about this world do not know about it. And, those who are a part of it do not talk,” he tells me, explaining that as the reason why somebody had to write about it.
So, is there a way to rehabilitate bar dancers, I ask him in the end. “The problem of dance bars is a social issue and it needs a social solution, not a political one,” he says. “By enacting laws or by policing the problem will not go away. It is a huge discussion and needs to be done in all earnestness, not as a short-cut method.” That’s food for thought, isn’t it?
At thirteen, Munia has just had her first period when her so-called father sells her off to Babulal Dadua, headman of their bedia community – and a pimp. Without Prejudice by Devasis tracks the journey of this young girl from an indiscreet village in the heart of Chambal Valley, to becoming Pallavi Singh, one of the most famous bar dancers of Mumbai.
In his debut novel, the author not only commentates on the social stigma attached to the profession of bar dancers in India, but also asks some pertinent questions – is a woman’s body her own? How far does her freedom extend? What can she do when social traditions, laws of the land and above all, prejudices of individuals, bind her down; make her a commodity to be bought and sold? How can she turn back the tidal wave of social events set loose by the origins and consequences of various social traditions?
Without Prejudice, which took about eight years of intensive research, had initially been written in the non-fiction format, the author tells me. It was however while revising its second draft that he saw a storyline emerging – one that celebrated the triumph of human spirit. “It is the story of a socially excluded yet courageous young girl, a maverick, scheming yet lion-heart, middle-aged mentor, and an introverted, sincere young man, surrounded by years of taboo and social exclusion. So, instead of a non-fiction, I wrote a novel,” says Devasis of his book – which, by the way, has a nice romantic angle to it.
But, why did he write about bar dancers when he could have very well written about anything else? “Well, the problem is that whatever we know about these girls is fed to us by the administration. Look at the media reports, they only carry versions released by the police. Where is the reportage from the dancers’ point of view?” Devasis argues – and I cannot not agree to that, considering as a book around this theme was long overdue, more so after Maharashtra government’s ban on dance bars in 2005 that rendered about “one hundred thousand dancers redundant”. Just as I am made aware of this statistic, I begin to wonder if Devasis’s characters were inspired by real life.
“Yes,” he answers, “I have met a number of bar dancers while researching for the book.”
And, was it easy to get information out of them?
“The research was very difficult,” he says without mincing words. “This world is shrouded by a blanket of silence. Very difficult to penetrate. But, once you know the dancers, you can see that they are as gracious and intelligent and full of empathy as any other human being. They have to trust you. Because of taboo attached to their social status, either they tend to avoid mainstream or get covertly aggressive/defensive in social situations.”
The book has an interesting array of characters and a fast-paced narrative that packs a lot of facts alongside fiction, and asks many questions. Here is an excerpt from the book:
“As he watched, Roy felt questions rise unbidden in his mind. How did such beautiful girls land up in a dance bar? Popular belief held that most of these girls had been forced into the profession, owing to physical threats or economic compulsions. But what compelling circumstances made them stay? While interacting with so many customers every day, they could reach out for help. Did they do that? What was the pattern of trafficking? How did the supply chain work? Roy was not convinced that brute force alone could be the reason why the girls adhered to the system…He reasoned that if dancers in bars were not in the hard-core flesh trade, then why would there be coercion or fear at all?”
As I delve deeper into the story, it becomes apparent that the author is eager to reduce the prejudices that exist against the bar dancers. When I ask him if that was his intention, he answers me with an emphatic “Yes”. “Those who discuss or write about this world do not know about it. And, those who are a part of it do not talk,” he tells me, explaining that as the reason why somebody had to write about it.
So, is there a way to rehabilitate bar dancers, I ask him in the end. “The problem of dance bars is a social issue and it needs a social solution, not a political one,” he says. “By enacting laws or by policing the problem will not go away. It is a huge discussion and needs to be done in all earnestness, not as a short-cut method.” That’s food for thought, isn’t it?
October 7, 2017
When I got to know there is a book released on a bar dancer's life it got me all intrigued to check out the blurb if not the book. I didn't look back after that, turning pages after pages realising what this book holds is something only an author who has done extremely thorough research can do. I later got to know, that this book was supposed to be a non fiction and I would have absolutely believed the whole story could have been true since it does describe a lot of Bombay landmarks in the book.
This book starts in a small town in the Delhi outskirts goes to the red light areas of Bombay and the good old Benaras. The transformation of the protagonist, Munia to Pallavi Singh and people who are involved in this trade, every person has some story to tell and those stories are something which I personally has never read before be it books or print media.
The whole fascinating experience of seventies and eighties of Bombay, the clout of certain sections of the society and the influence they have on the Bombay politics and underworld, everything fascinated me. The ride is such a roller coaster which has everything that can be made into a Bollywood movie albeit there was movie made on dance bars in particular, Chandni Bar.
This book is not what you might have presumed it is, it has love, money, sex, murder, stark realities which every bar dancer had to face while they were being touched, abused and still danced every night for an amount of cash that could change their life.
There is nothing more to say, you should just pick up the book and start reading no matter how descriptive it gets, it gets interesting with every page you turn.
This book starts in a small town in the Delhi outskirts goes to the red light areas of Bombay and the good old Benaras. The transformation of the protagonist, Munia to Pallavi Singh and people who are involved in this trade, every person has some story to tell and those stories are something which I personally has never read before be it books or print media.
The whole fascinating experience of seventies and eighties of Bombay, the clout of certain sections of the society and the influence they have on the Bombay politics and underworld, everything fascinated me. The ride is such a roller coaster which has everything that can be made into a Bollywood movie albeit there was movie made on dance bars in particular, Chandni Bar.
This book is not what you might have presumed it is, it has love, money, sex, murder, stark realities which every bar dancer had to face while they were being touched, abused and still danced every night for an amount of cash that could change their life.
There is nothing more to say, you should just pick up the book and start reading no matter how descriptive it gets, it gets interesting with every page you turn.
November 7, 2017
PersonallyI just loved the book. It is about the way the storytelling was handled. Mumbai Dance Bars always attracted curiosity but this is a very couragious book. Nicely written by a first time writer.
June 30, 2018
“Without Prejudice” is an incredible tale of woman’s journey. It beautifully depicts underlying naked reality of our society and unravels some of the most horrific truths. “Munni” lives with her surrogate parents “Kamala” and “Magiram” in a small village situated in the valley of Chambal. She is merely loan to the couple who don’t have a child of their own till she is ready to embrace her new life or rather, thrown into it.
The story unearths the practices of Women trafficking, tracking back its origins to British India. As Munni steps into adult hood she is taken to Mumbai so that one day she too, can be a pleasure for other man.
It’s incredible in such a subtle yet powerful way author has able to deliver his intent and vision to the readers. The more you read the more you get engulfed by the story. As the synopsis of the story states that Is a woman only as good as her body? Is she merely a piece of art that men use to pleasure themselves? Devasis has put forward an absolute gem that demands your attention.
The story unearths the practices of Women trafficking, tracking back its origins to British India. As Munni steps into adult hood she is taken to Mumbai so that one day she too, can be a pleasure for other man.
It’s incredible in such a subtle yet powerful way author has able to deliver his intent and vision to the readers. The more you read the more you get engulfed by the story. As the synopsis of the story states that Is a woman only as good as her body? Is she merely a piece of art that men use to pleasure themselves? Devasis has put forward an absolute gem that demands your attention.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews