Save this Cultural Heritage

Re: # 39
Masadi Sahib, an intellectual of your stature should fight to preserve our heritage and should not worry about stumping people with his arguments. Let’s not have Pakistan turn into Taliban’s Afghanistan. For crying out loud, our history of thousands of years is in danger of extinction. Did you know that the present day Sitar was developed in Hira Mandi? Persians brought a 3-sting instrument (hence the name “Seh – Taar”) to India, and we (which includes your and my ancestors) made it into a 39 string instrument. Are you not proud of this heritage? The present day Tabla Drums were also invented in the Punjab. And please don’t worry about stumping me with your prevailing arguments, as I am only a small potato.

Submitted with respect and deference.

kulharee writes <<< Masadi Sahib, you are so right. You should go back and save Pakistan from goons who suggest that dancing and music is part of our Islamic culture that only saw it’s golden age during the reign of Muslim rulers. Much luck to you. >>>

Don`t try to invent straw men to fight against when my arguments stump you, or you don`t comprehend them. It reveals your weak mind.

okhla99 writes <<< Utterly & Completely respected Masadi Sahib, >>>

Hypocritical bastard.

<<< Your fans are waiting for pearls of wisdom from you on the Musharraf Board. >>>

You have already shown how ignorant you are, my ``friends`` don`t need any further posts by me to prove that.

Nice article.

My grandfather used to say something like

``Jin Lahore Nahin Vekhya Oh Janmya ee nahin``.

Utterly & Completely respected Masadi Sahib,

Your fans are waiting for pearls of wisdom from you on the Musharraf Board.

Please return there at the earliest.

Masadi Sahib, you are so right. You should go back and save Pakistan from goons who suggest that dancing and music is part of our Islamic culture that only saw it’s golden age during the reign of Muslim rulers. Much luck to you.

Einstein. It is not about people’s preference in music. It is about a cultural tradition that is under threat by the Mullahs of Pakistan. Not only music and dance, but other artistic endeavors are in danger of extinction in Pakistan. People’s taste is music has nothing to do with the systematic and deliberate hounding of this trade. If peoples’ preference is to live in big houses doesn’t mean that they should go around destroying shacks of the unprivileged. People can go and F themselves.

As you become old you tend to think that the type of music and movies young people like are of ``inferior`` taste. Nostalgia is a natural phenomenon. Wanting to preserve old is natural. If bullying of religious leaders is causing good music and dancing disappear from Pakistan then Pakistani people are partly to blame because they are the ones who prefer non-democratic governments who are contantly buying their time by giving free rein to religious leaders.

Kulharee in #23 <<< You see Masadi Sahib, only a Mulla will go and tell the residents of Hira Mandi what to do and where to go, and you will never see a Kanjar (as you will) or a Mirasi go and tell a Mullah what to do and where to go. >>>

The higher Kanjars, those who are prostituting everything human on the marketplace do indeed tell the mullahs and everyone else what to do, often by force of arms, the mullah on the other hand operates on a different scale. Why the small time prostitutes will not tell the Mullah what to do is because their trade is considered against the law according to the society they live in whereas the Mullah has some political clout that he flaunts. Were the other side to get this political/legitimation authority they would do the same that is why I suggested both need to take care of the other`s sensibilities, crime where it involves harming others should not be tolerated, that is why I suggested that you think with your brain and not other parts of your anatomy.

Re: # 32

Yes HP Sahib, my family still lives there, my Mom runs a meat shop in Hira Mandi. But really, dancing and Music is as important a part of our culture in Punjab as Honor Killings is in Sindh.

#31 by Kulharee

``Heera Mandi is Mecca of our musical culture and traditions. ``

Does this ``our`` means yours? It certainly is not of any sindhi,pathan, baloch, and mohajir. As I far I know and I know many punjabis, no punjabi would call Heera mandi his culture....


Okay now enough of your malarkey, set it aside and answer one simple question:

Does your family still live there (HM)?

Jang Ji, it’s hard to point out how exactly the State is complacent in destroying this cultural heritage of ours, but here are a couple of hard facts: Once a year in February, an all night Tabla Recital will take place outside of Sheranwala Gate in the park, where Tabla Players will demonstrate their mastery of the craft. Well, it hasn’t happened in, oh, about 20 years. You can call it a Khomeini effect on our music. During Urs and Melas, it was common for Hira Mandi dancers to perform outside of Circus, etc., to attract people into coming in to watch the show, but now they can only perform in enclosed areas. You should read the books that I suggested. You will get a much better idea. What you are asking is akin to asking why don’t Christians in Pakistan join Jamat Islami? Even friggin PIA planes can’t take off without reciting half of Quran. So, there is not just ONE reason, but the whole anti-artist environment that is prevalent in the country, and State is either complacent, or is a silent Tamashbeen. Before long, Lahore will resemble more like Peshawar and less like itself.

HP Sahib, instead of pulling the figures out of your ass, can you site some reliable sources of your information? Hira Mandi is not a meat market, as you put it so crudely. These whores have lot more decency and decorum than self absorbed uncouth and uncultured jokers running our country. Look at why every artist is leaving Pakistan, or can’t wait to get the hell out of there. Read up what Mehdi Hassan Khan Sahib recently said. The point of old utensils was a reference to old culture (in case you missed it – but only in case). Just like I take pride in telling Europeans that we were waving silk while you were still climbing trees. Having said that, I am glad that you at least support keeping Hira Mandi open. And culture is not what you like it to be. Heera Mandi is Mecca of our musical culture and traditions. That’s where it all started.

# 12

Listen..YouAreNadia....

In the last shair of this ghazal, it is not ``iss shehr e baichargi``..... its ``iss shehr e bay charagh``. Shehr e baichargi....would be meaningless here. And its ``aa ay shab e firaq`` not ``ay shab e firaq`` which upsets the meter. The complete shair is:

``iss shehr e baicharagh main jaaye gi tu kahan
Aa, ay shab e firaq tujhe ghar hi lay chalain``

There are several other minor mistakes you have made in copying this ghazal. Well they are actually pretty major for a ghazal.

#25 by Kulharee

“You seem to be stuck on “brothels” and “Prostitution” part, which is only a very small part of what Hira Mandi is all about.”

Seem to be stuck? Hira mandi is hira mandi because primarily it is a brothel. (Go to hira mandi in the evening sometime) People come to that place because they can have sex for money. Musicians and singers flock to the place because that is where they traditionally hawked their talents. I am kind of beginning to think that you either have never been to hira mandi or for some reason are bent upon making it some religious place. Only 20 percent of girls in Hira mandi or any other brothel in Pakistan were either singers or dancers or both and most of them were atrocious dancers and singers too. 80% girls in any brothel like hira mandi sell their bodies. Sex was the main dish there and still is. Singers and musicians lived off meat market’s earnings and played music for dancing and singing girls.

I think you have no idea abt what culture is all about. Singing and dancing are just one aspect of culture and mostly singers and dancers from brothels have very little impact on a county’s culture.

“I take pride in telling my American friends that my mom’s kitchen utensils are older than their country.”

You may take pride in old utensil but I would advise you to trash them as quickly as possible as you may already have bacteria in every part of your food if you are still using them. I would like see the face of your American friend after hearing abt the old utensils. I am sure he might have dropped his jaw so far down that it would have been hard for him to collect that back up.

“Your other arguments about “it’s not government’s job to preserve” our cultural heritage”

Now you prove once and all that you just lack the ability to even cover up your stupidity. Music is a profession and musicians are not entitled to a government pension if they are unable to make money off their skills. There are tonnes of people who fail in their chosen professions and it is not any government’s job to help every smalltime musician whose only claim to fame was a few songs or composing music for some dancing girl in a brothel. People that have talent get rewarded by many private organizations and individuals. governments’ employ some musicians and those guys are perfectly entitled to pension as part of their compensation for a lifetime of employment like many other employees.

Hira mandi is a place for entertainment. I am all for keeping it but shiat… I just can’t support governments paying whores, small time tabla and shehnai players or pimps. That is not sponsoring culture or preserving cultural heritage, it is sponsoring freeloaders.

#27 kulhareeji, in the US besides state NEA, there are large endowments like carnagie who are like rajas who support the arts. there is no way the philharmonic would survive on gate-tickets and music sales. and then the europeans support arts strongly so that amricans can poach on the talent paid for by europan govt. so my case is still that its hard to allow classical music-dance to survive without big kadardans.

regarding state hostility to nach-gana in hira-mandi, you have alleged it but have given no examples or other kind of substantiation. so its unclear how exactly the state has been hostile?

Re: # 26

Jang Ji.. in case of Pakistan, if the State left it alone, will be a major victory for it’s survival and conservation. What is happening in Pakistan (in case of Hira Mandi) is that forget about State patronage, there is an effort to completely destroy it. Here, in the US for example, there is enough private support and funding for the culture, and very little is carried by the State, however, there is an endowment for the arts that helps promote classical and other genre of music. The music and dance industry of Hira Mandi is actually fighting for its survival. It has nothing to do with demand and supply as HP Sahib was arguing, but it is about an intensive effort on the part of the State to destroy it. That should be stopped in the name of God.

its a fact that no classical music would survive without patronage of a state..western indeed did and continues to have such a patronage and indian did and continues to get it from all-india radio. now some of the indian classical is able to make it on its own due to middle-class patron prosperity, but prolly it would not have survived the post-raja period without all-india radio and some sarkari patronage. now one could argue that let the market forces rule, then the arguement is that its not worth preserving if it cannot survive on market forces alone.

Re: # 24

HP Sahib, I am not necessarily arguing about preserving the buildings per say (however, that will be nice) but the culture of dancing and music. You seem to be going in a different direction. You seem to be stuck on “brothels” and “Prostitution” part, which is only a very small part of what Hira Mandi is all about. And I don’t think that it will be good idea to tell it to the natives of that place that their culture is less significant than the Shahi Qila or Masjid. And by the way, Shahi Qila has 4 courts dedicated to nothing but “music” and “dancing”. Please catch up on your history.

I take pride in telling my American friends that my mom’s kitchen utensils are older than their country. Please come on and show some pride in our culture and not let some Mullahs tell us what is acceptable and what is not. You may not approve of it, but it is our “heritage”.

Your other arguments about “it’s not government’s job to preserve” our cultural heritage are stupid to say the least. How do you think the Arts and Cultures survive?

#16 by Kulharee on September 26, 2006 6:56am PT
Re: # 11

”HP Sahib, I am glad you had a few giggles on my expense.”

Kully Sahib, I first read giggle as gargles :)

I guess your commitment to Hira mandi is little too big for you to follow my thoughts on the whole thing. Hira Mandi is no cultural center. It is a brothel first and brothels move from one place to another depending on business. You can keep as many buildings in Hira mandi as you want, but if there is no business there, girls will move to the other areas. That is a fact that is bigger than any cultural value of the buildings where some girls live or do business. Those buildings are not monuments to have some historical value. If you have read my post, it would not escaped you that I mentioned saving historical places but there is no one on the face of this earth who could possibly prove that Hira mandi has equal or better historical value than for instance Shahi Qila or Ranjit’s tomb.

“you walk down in Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg, the newest building there is some 400-year old. People take pride in”

Sorry that wont cut it. How big Hauptstrasse is compared to old Lahore? Hauptstrasse is a mile long street, take a mile long of historical Lahore and save it if that helps you but saving the whole unmanageable walled city would be just waste of resources that can be put to some better use. The problems in the old walled cities are way beyond nostalgia or romanticism. Getting basic sanitation services alone to the walled cities is a gigantic task.

It is not only Lahore; these problems exist in every old city in Pakistan including Hyderabad, Peshawar and even the old Karachi itself.

“This type of thinking prevailed during the Taliban.”

Just shows your ignorance (I should rather use strong words but I will refrain from it). Walled city is no Moen jo dero or the Buddha’s stupa. It is not unique in any way. There are multiple of walled city spread around in the subcontinent that are exactly like old Lahore. There is no point in throwing inane like Taliban around w/o the context. It only shows that you cannot argue your case on merits.

“(I am also interested to find out where you came up with the stats suggesting that the majority of prostitutes moved to poor neighborhoods, because I have not been able to find any such work to suggest that.)”

80% of girls in Hira Mandi or any other brothel serve the poor lower class. Why would it surprise any one if they would prefer to move close to their customers instead of places such as Gulberg or Clifton where they would be completely out of place? I don’t know what you were doing walking in Hira Mandi, if you could not figure out this simple thing.

A word abt saving this music gharana or that music gharana.

That is pure bull. Music like any other art, changes with the time. You can respect those artists but doling money to them is pure non sense. You were quick to bring out Hauptstrasse in Heidelberg but how many musicians Germany or any other western country support financially once a particular genre of music or any other art goes out of fashion?

It is not a government’s job to support artists financially. If they can’t survive in their chosen business then they should look for something else to support their families. I guess most of them are doing that but a few are just whiners.

Re: # 22
You see Masadi Sahib, only a Mulla will go and tell the residents of Hira Mandi what to do and where to go, and you will never see a Kanjar (as you will) or a Mirasi go and tell a Mullah what to do and where to go. You see the difference? You see you religionists don’t get this simple message of “get the hell out of our lives”. Do you? But don’t worry, we all know, you don’t.

Kulharee writes <<< These two should be preserved, because it took a thousand years to come to where we are now, and we shouldn’t let these trades die under some false pretense of religion. >>>

Why does religion always translate into ``false pretense`` in your vocabulary? Of course music is a reflection of culture as are many other things which you find undesirable, but I`m sure in your sensibilities you wouldn`t like Usama songs praising his ``jihad`` being broadcast day and night or ``preserved`` in some madrassa or street block advertised for all to see and hear, other people have different sensibilities which need to be taken into consideration in a just balance sort of a way as well. Now we know that those you admire and work for, the cultural imperialists try to sweep everything away based on their own preceived superiority. If you think with parts of your anatomy other than the brain, you will come up with absurd recommendations, I suggest you kick start your brain and let the other parts be directed by it.

Respectfully submitted, (as Behram the bigot would say).

Nice article Kulharee...but when you tell these stories over a glass of Chevas Regal with your face half hidden in smoke rising from your cuban cigars..it sounds much better. Like every Punjabi I have 2 wishes...one to visit Lahore and 2nd to enjoy the entertainment at Hira Mandi.. Now that Musharraf has saved Lahore you guys save hiramandi few more years...bass main ayea ke ayea....kapRay sawaaN lai ne, jutti banwa lee ay, pagg rangwa lee ay..bass ticket lainee baaki ay.:-)

nice article Kulharee.

bulldozing the olde city will be like bulldozing the soul of lahore. it was a horrendous thought in #11. blekh!

Re: # 13
Yeah But Masadi Sahib, I think we ourselves are responsible for killing these institutions. I don’t think we can blame externalities for that. I agree that sex trade should be controlled and alternative lifestyles be provided to sex workers, but what about dancing and music? These two should be preserved, because it took a thousand years to come to where we are now, and we shouldn’t let these trades die under some false pretense of religion.

Re: # 12
Nadia, yep.. Beautiful poetry of Nasir Kazmi.

Re: # 15
Shah ji, I agree, that sex industry should be viewed separately from the Music and the Dancing culture. I am sorry that I suggested that sex industry should also be preserved. I was wrong to suggest that. I personally have no issue with sex industry. I think it should be regulated, merely because it will go on, no matter what any one does about it. My concern is the deterioration of the Music and the Dancing culture. I think it should be preserved and promoted.

Re: # 11

HP Sahib, I am glad you had a few giggles on my expense. When I was a college student in Lahore, the Hira Mandi was at the beginning stages of its decline. And just before that, the prostitution actually went on from sunrise to sunrise. Prostitutes might not have stood in the balconies on the main streets, but the back streets were always doing business, whether 8 in the morning or 6 in the evening. You are right; the main street came alive after sunset. I am not familiar with Napier Street. Also, the Mujras started after 9pm or so well into the early hours, but the Riyaz went on all day, and there were “Chilas” every day and every night in the Bethak of Ustad Shoukat Hussain. Aspiring students practiced 15 hours straight, every day. I remember Ustad Ji saying, you practice a million times, and you get to perform only once. The sad part is that there is no one left in Hira Mandi (or Pakistan) to do it anymore. And just FYI, I didn’t get to see my first Mujra until well after finishing my graduate school, when I went back to Lahore, and my friends treated me to one. I still remember that experience. It was magical. Sitting up close and watching a skilful dancer and superb musicians.

I am quite surprised that you would want the whole inner city to be bulldozed to be rebuilt. If you walk down Haubstrasse in Heidelberg, the newest building there is some 400-year old. People take pride in
their history and heritage, and we should too. I am sure you wouldn’t like Shahi Masjid to be demolished to be turned into a parking lot. So don’t wish for something that might come back to bite you in the arse. This type of thinking prevailed during the Taliban. History and traditions are to be preserved. That`s all we have, for crying out loud. (I am also interested to find out where you came up with the stats suggesting that the majority of prostitutes moved to poor neighborhoods, because I have not been able to find any such work to suggest that.)

The music business, without a doubt, HM was the breeding grounds (as well as incubating grounds) for what is known as the North Indian classical music (Hindustani). Punjab Gharana was the basis for all
other musical gharanas. In Tabla gharanas for example (I am being partial, caz of my love for the instrument), Punjab is not only the major one, but also the one from which all other Gharanas sprouted from. But that’s another topic for me to write about.

What I was saying is that, let me tell you about my dear friend Janab Akram Khan son of Ustad Mubarak Khan Sahib of AjRara Gharana (one of 4 major Purbi Gharanas). Akram tells me that Indian Government gives them 6 Lakh rupees to “preserve” and “promote” their music. That’s how he is able to come to the US and UK every year and do a few gigs. I want the Pakistani government to extend the same to our musicians. But sadly, it is too late. There is no one left in Pakistan to carry the mantle of Punjab Gharana, Tafu ji is too old and will be gone soon. 6 of the most celebrated Punjab Gharana musicians now make home in Toronto or NYC. You would be happy to know that I am a very active member of the WMI, and spend enough energy and time to promote Hindustani, even if it wont make a difference. At least I try to promote something I care about.

I really hope that someone takes up a stand against this genocide of our cultural heritage. This is not only worth preserving but as far as I am concerned, it is worth worshipping.

Qutub -- great writing -- however the nostalgia should evaporate under the harsh realities of modern times -- those were the good old days of gonorrhea and syphlis that did not kill the people only maimed them -- no one-contact death certificate -- now in the modern times of God`s wrath HIV (God does n`t like multiple partners) -- it is better healthwise to let go the nostalgia........

oh my god, stupid PC vallahs if they had any akil they would restore the old haveli and make it into a 5 star hotel suite thing like some of the old havelis of India. I hope they dont knock it down!

Khair, if the dancing girls could dance and people (normal people) could go just to watch them dance and pay money, then maybe they wouldn`t need to sell themselves as they could make money from their performances.

But, alas, our people and culture is not that far ahead yet!!!

Kulharee writes <<< Masadi Sahib, the difference between Hira Mandi residents and the impression of Globalization is that HM folks are being displaced by their own people, and not by the M’effing IMF. >>>

If your own folks kill you or foreigners kill you you are just as much dead, it is not that one is dead-er than the other, the facts are that those globalizers are doing the same thing on a much larger scale.

Regarding prostitution, it will exist regardless of morality labels when the family institutions is damaged and the family institution will remain damaged as long as the economy is damaged and the political is either non existant or weakened by the powers that be.

On the other hand when you restrict polygamy in a most hypocritical way, as in the west which practices at present serial monogamy, due to the high divorce rate, interspaced with a high percentage of extramarital affairs, not to mention the open-season outside of marriage, usually the women are losers with their economic standing being the clearest indicator of such loss~ very few can cash in on it. On the other hand the Islamic prescription merely protects the weak among the women by giving them family live- and in addition allows the state to provide civil `pledge` marriages (maa malakat eemanokum) of otherwise oppressed women. That is what needs to be preserved not prostitution that in most cases oppresses the woman.

Introduced to ``Brothel`` by the abusive remarks in this forum. Due to inquisitiveness I asked from many acquintances from Lahore and all gave the grim details of ``Khasta Hali`` of the institution. Your memorial tribute has located a space in my mind for the musical heritage status of Pakistan. Though ``kanjar khanas`` are in nick n corners of Pakistan but Hira Mandi is concerned nostalgic soul of the city.

It is heard there is a wonderful picture of late actress Nadra in there made by a renowned artist which is worth watching. There is indeed some melancholy about this place.

Anyways lets read Nasir Kazmi who also used to search some stolen gems:

Kuch Yadgar-e-shehr-e-sitamgar hi lay chalai.n

Kuch Yadgar-e-shehr-e-sitamgar hi lay chalai.n
Aye hai.n is gali mai.n to pathar hi lay chalei.n

You.n kis tarah katega KaRi Dhup ka Safar
Sar par Khayal-e-Yaar ki Chadar hi lay Chalei.n

Ranj-e-Safar ki koi nishani to paas ho
Thori si Khak-e-Kucha-e-Dilbar lay chalai.n

Yeh kia ke CheRti hai hamai.n Dil-Giraftagi
Ghabrana Gaye hai.n aap to Bahar hi lay Chalei.n

Is Shehr-e-Bechargi mai.n Jayegi tou Kaha.n
Aye Shab-e-Firaq tujhay Ghar lay Chalei.n

An interesting write up by kully.

I don’t get a few things like this statement:
“I was a young college student in Lahore; I would regularly go for after-school stroll in Hira Mandi. With no money for sex or to see a Mujra, my main curiosity was to walk past the houses in narrow alleys and see the prostitutes standing in the doorways waiting for customers.”

School and colleges usually close in the afternoon and that is the time when every chukla or kotha is pretty much dead. There is no business and girls are usually resting after a long nights work. So how kully saw all those girls is beyond me.
Anyway barring a few unexplained gaffe, this is a good and refreshing article after so many so so political articles.

“Not much has been written about this jewel of the Indian sub-continent.”

I doubt that Hira mandi was ever considered a jewel of the sub continent. Before partition, Lucknow, Delhi, Banaras, agra and a few other cities in central India boasted some major brothels. Even the ones in Kolkata ad Mumbai were better known. Lahore was nowhere near the top. After partition, it started to attract attention but Napier Road in Karachi was still the place to go. Most of the hira mandi’s name recognition was because of Pakistani movies and especially the cheap Punjabi movies. It became a major hunting ground for movie producers. But the big names in the movies were from Karachi. Shamim Ara, Zeba, Deba, Babra Sharif and few more were Napier road product. Salooni, Rani and perhaps Firdous were the biggest names out of Hira Mandi.

Is Hira mandi a cultural center worth preserving? I am not sure about that. I think saving old neighborhoods in Lahore or any other city in Pakistan is a compete waste of time and resources. The way the old walled cities are, it would be best if they are gutted and the cities are rebuilt. Saving those neighborhoods, imo, is useless. There maybe a few historical places worth preserving but Hira Mandi sure can’t be one of them.

Hira Mandi and the other Brothels in Pakistan died mainly because they were unable to cater for the new breed of customers. Brothels attracted two types of customers in Pakistan: Waderas or well to do zamindars or the lower class which looked for some cheap entertainment. The Middle classes in both Pakistan and India never patronized brothels. The new breed of Wadera after the 60s, owned shiny cars and most of the brothels including the Napier road, Hira mandi and Sera Ghat in Hyderabad failed to provide exclusive parking for the customers. It was still a hidden business and no one wanted to leave their cars faraway and walk to the brothel for people to recognize them. The industrial workers began to prefer to live close to the factories and would rarely visit downtown brothels. With these changes, the girls started moving out to be close to their clients to provide the clients the necessary privacy. So the changes in lifestyle made the brothels lose business.

“However, the dancing and the sex trades that openly and legally went on in the neighborhood, moved into affluent areas of the city, mainly Samnabaad, Iqbal Town, and Gulberg,”

Actually, almost 80% of the girls moved to the lower class neighborhoods. The girls that used to entertain the upper classes moved to the upper class neighborhoods.

A new trend developed in the early 80s, when the girls who lived in Hyderabad serviced clients in Karachi and the Girls in Karachi came to Hyderabad. That saved them from neighbors and now it was the client’s problem to find a safe house. I know pretty much all major Hotels in Karachi and Hyderabad were providing accommodations to the couples. Some girls stopped working with Dallay/Bharway/ Khasi_Ms of the world and started to get their own client list and phone numbers to connect directly with the customers.

The professionals adjusted to the changing needs of the society.

Kulharee,
Very nice article about Lahore.

After reading this I am in love with Lahore. All my elders could do was talk about Lahore was ``Lahore vich Aie Si, Lahore vich oh si...``.

Your knowledge and love for your city(that could be mine too) is very heart warming..

Re: # 8
Truly Sahib, that’s’ not entirely accurate. The clamping down on Hira Mandi actually resulted in more and widespread prostitution. In Lahore, one only has to go around the corner to get sex. I am talking here about “Dancing” (Kanjars) and “Music” (Mirasi) business, and not necessarily sex business. These two communities should be allowed to live with dignity without someone imposing their 7th century morality crap on them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these businesses and they should not be targeted on religious grounds. Immoral are those who impose their fake sense of morality on others.

Re: # 7

I think, of all the accomplishments of satan, one that he can be really proud of is the semantics. Bhai sahib, adultery and fornication, by any name, destroy homes, families, cultures and civilizations. Besides, the phenomenon that we call culture, cannot be preserved, it is a dynamic entity, which changes at every tick of the clock. The culture of late 90s was quite different from the culture of today; so in fact the cry for ``save the culture`` is just an excuse for preserving the practice of prostitution, debauchery, and immorality. Please do not lower womankind to the level of animals in the name of your culture. Give them the dignity, respect, and honor as you claim for yourself. A woman is not a piece of meat hanging at a butchers shop, she is human being. She is a mother, a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend, and a lover and first of all a human being. Of all the crimes that men have committed against women, probably, prostitution is the worst of all - even worst than rape, for rape is an attrocity that woman endures once but prostitution is a crime that has no end.

Re: # 6

Truly Sahib, that quote is from 7th century Arabia, a different place, a different era. Today, mothers and sisters do not need protection provided to them by their men, but by the Law of the Land. And in some cases, it is the brothers and the fathers that they need protection from.

The essay is about saving our cultural heritage, and not about mothers and sisters. Sex trade is only a very minute %age of the businesses associated with Hira Mandi. It is dance and music that is suffering because of increased Islamicization of the society.

``Do not do unto other`s mothers and sisters as you would not have them do unto your sisters and mothers``


.................Holy Prophet (pbuh),