Beautiful thing : inside the secret world of Bombay's dance bars / Sonia Faleiro.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Faleiro, Sonia.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women dancers--India--Mumbai--Biography.

Women dancers.

India--Mumbai.

Sex industry--India--Mumbai.

Sex industry.

Women--India--Mumbai--Social conditions.

Women.

Social conditions.

Journalists--India--Biography.

Journalists.

India.

Bars (Drinking establishments)--India--Mumbai.

Bars (Drinking establishments).

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

225 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Black Cat, [2012]

Summary:

Already published in India to great acclaim and named a Time Out Subcontinental Book of the Year and an Observer Book of the Year, Beautiful Thing is a stunning piece of reportage that offers a rare firsthand glimpse into Bombay's notorious sex industry. Sonia Faleiro was a reporter in search of a story when she met nineteen-year-old Leela, a charismatic exotic dancer with a story to tell. Leela introduced Sonia to the underworld of Bombay's dance bars: a world of glamorous women; of fierce love, sex, and violence; of gangsters, police, prostitutes, and pimps. When an ambitious politician cashed in on a tide of false morality and had Bombay's dance bars wiped out, Leela's proud independence faced its greatest test. In a city where almost everyone is certain that someone, somewhere, is worse off than them, she fights to survive--and to win. Sonia Faleiro has crafted one of the most original works of nonfiction about India in years. Unforgettable for its artistry and intimacy, Beautiful Thing is a vivid portrait of one reporter's journey into the dark, damaged soul of Bombay.

Contents:

January 2005. 'Challenge me. Any man, any time' ; 'Manohar wanted me to start modelling; he said I was bootiful' ; 'A bar dancer's game is to rob, to fool a kustomer; ; 'I want a good break, yaar. No cut-piece, sidey role for me' ; 'To be held, even in the arms of a thief, is worth something' ; 'I too love you, Janu!' ; 'I'm going to skin your flesh and throw it to the dogs!' ; 'The luckiest girl in the world' ; 'If I fall, who will accept my outstretched hand?' ; 'I sell watermelons. Watermelons and watches'

September 2005. 'Now that you're unemployed, how do you fell?' ; 'Everyone drinks! Everyone beats!' ; 'If anything happens, run like Sita should have run from Ravan!' ; 'They showed me. They showed me all night' ; 'Move on. Stay away. Leave me alone' ; 'Once these randis come upstairs, their chamri is mine' ; 'Tell me, do you see it?'.

ISBN:

9780802170927

0802170927

OCLC:

746834398