They were like Neelkanth (Lord Shiva consumed poison and became blue throated to save the universe), bearing the poison of society for years, and now they have grown old. There’s no certainty in life or livelihood anymore. For them, festivals are just like any other ordinary day.

A volunteer organisation from Barasat worshipped these Neelkanth mothers with offerings at red light areas in Titagarh in North 24-Parganas. Everyone needs something special in their lives. That’s why Sambahan stood by the elderly “Durga mothers”, some of them even in their eighties.

The organisation visited the homes of these mothers, without the soil from their residence, Durga Puja cannot be complete, and honored them. “Our organisation celebrated devi baran (welcoming the goddess) during Debipaksha. Our organisation from Barasat, paid homage to sixty such retired sex workers in Titagarh, honoring them as embodiments of the goddess,” said Dr Priyamjit Kumar Koyal, president of Sambahan and oncologist from Sagar Dutta College of Medicine. These elderly sex workers, who are now living in challenging circumstances without any source of income, were revered as goddesses by the members of the NGO. The elderly were given new clothes and school bags for their children. They also prepared offerings for the mother and children, consisting of various food items to last throughout the five days of the festival.

A retired sex worker in her seventies shared her deep anguish over the way Durga-like figures are being victimised in the society. Incidents like the R G Kar case and the death of a Class IV girl from Kultali have deeply pained them. They have appealed to both the state and central governments to take proper measures to stop such extermination of feminine power.

“Our days are nearing an end, but we can clearly see that the violence and systematic destruction of the feminine force in this generation is bringing disaster upon India and West Bengal. Everything will collapse. If the women of the country aren’t safe, the downfall of society is inevitable,” said Ashalata (name changed). She said they have to struggle to sustain their livelihood. “Some of us have to beg to survive. But honour of women is the power of the society,” said another 75-year-old sex worker.

Due to poverty, countless sex workers from various states in India migrate to Titagarh, one of the North 24-Parganas red-light districts, in search of livelihood. Dr Koyal, shared, “These sex worker mothers often see themselves as outcasts from society. We have taken this initiative to dispel that misconception.”