Sonagachi - The unseen streets of Kolkata & the Hidden facts

Kolkata is a city in which lives Forbes list worth multi-billionaire people and there is also another side of the city in which girls auction their dignity at rupees 150 only. Not for the sake of pleasure but for the sake of poverty Yes we are talking of Asia's largest red light area - SONAGACHI.

According to Shahid Ludhanvi" yeh duniya dorangi hai ek taraf se Resham orhe ek taraf se nangi hai ek taraf andi hai daulat ki pagal Ayash barasti ek taraf jismo ki keemat roti seh bhi sasti hai ek taraf hai Sonagachi ek taraf chaurangi hai yeh duniya dorangi hai " this lines defines Sonagachi because this is the truth that lies behind each gully of Sonagachi. A book was written in the year 1880 by an unknown person. The name of the book was Baishya Leela the book is about Kolkata's red light area Sonagachi. The business of girls and sex workers started almost 150 years ago since then, the attraction and the amount of workers in Sonagachi gradually increased, and in 2023 Sonagachi is Asia's largest red light area.

In the red light area of Kolkata, almost 14, 000 workers work every day to earn their livelihood, and in almost every building of Sonagachi, several stories of child trafficking, and sexual abuse remain hidden within walls of the buildings, and the most astonishing news according to certain resources and facts is  Almost 12, 000 sex workers working here in Sonagachi are below 18 years of age in Kolkata.

Prostitution is considered legal in many countries but in India or West Bengal, this occupation is not considered illegal. However, in the gullies of Sonagachi, everything is legitimate because, inside the gullies of the red light area, it is believed that sex work is legal. Years ago, today's Sonagachi or the red light area of Kolkata used to be an amusement place in which only dance and entertainment used to take place, but nowadays these things have changed into prostitution where women of different ages ranging from 8 to 80 put on makeup and hide their misery behind the thick layer of foundation to get some food in their bellies with the help of their bodies. It's often said that when you walk through the gullies of the red light area you will feel that this is a society of ladies in which there is no existence of man. Males only come here to satisfy their needs in turn off money. It is also said that no outside person is allowed inside the gullies of Sonagachi not even media and photographers without special permission. The girls or women here are kept apart from education and rights.

Formation of Sonagachi 

According to etymology, Sonagachi means tree of gold during the early days when Kolkata used to be Calcutta this area was under the control of Sanaullah who resided there with her mother, after the death of Sanaullah his mother constructed a mosque in memory of her son, then her son came into her dream and told "not to cry because he has become a gazi" although it is not presently standing due to lack of maintenance the word Sona Ghazi was converted to Sonagachi.

The condition of Asia's biggest red light area and its inflation over time.

The gullies of the red light area of Kolkata Sonagachi are literally narrow claustrophobic and unhygienic where an 8 ft X 6 ft pigeon hole without a dedicated toilet will cost you nothing less than 1 lakh for rent. According to several reports, there are almost 250 houses in Sonagachi where sex workers live and work daily in unfathomable conditions. The main reason behind the high cost is that space is limited area and the number of sex workers in this area gradually increased over time. But if you are thinking that according to the cost you will get premium facilities inside. You are in for a surprise. The High-profile buildings like Night Lovers, Prem Bandhan, Ganga Jamuna and Neel Kamal particularly showcase high-profile sex workers but there's nothing premium inside these buildings. Many of these buildings are literally dark from the inside with no room for wind or sunlight. According to some facts, the condition inside the houses is so bad that sometimes a room is rented out to 4 to 5 sex workers who stay there and carry out business in one room at the same time.

The current situation of Sonagachi / the biggest red light area of Asia.

As the name of Sonagachi expanded more and more the quality of the sex workers and the prostitutes working here degraded with time. According to reports and estimations, there are almost 10 to 12 thousand prostitutes in Sonagachi suspected HIV positive and the number is gradually increasing because workers here are not allowed/preferred to use a condom. Not only HIV but several other sexually transmitted diseases are also found here & due to the lack of treatment the mortality rate is also very high here.

Asia's Biggest Red light area of Kolkata (Sonagachi) has a different concept of Sun Rise and Sun Set.

When anyone enters Sonagachi you will feel that this area of Kolkata has a different clock cycle, Daylight Seems to be night and moonlight seems to be day. The gullies of Sonagachi seem to be like any other streets of Kolkata on the evidence of the sun- tea stalls, and honkers honking but this gully shows its original color as the sun sets down Sonagachi comes to life. The visitors here are somewhat different which brings the financial status of the people who visit here as customers. Mainly the high profile buildings are visited by the most high profile people, the motive for visiting these places at night is they take help of the darkness to hide their dark mentality & to satisfy their own bodily pleasures.

Famous buildings of Sonagachi.

Neel Kamal

Lal Kamal

Prem Kamal

Ganga Jamuna

Night lover Sangam

Nanda Ranir Bari