Whenever there is a mention of Red-light Area/District, two countries immediately come to mind for different reasons. While in Saudi Arabia this thought could rarely occur for fear of lashes on the buttocks freezing the wildest libido dream, the Netherlands has managed to attract the libidinous lot from far and wide without fear and restraint…that is until recently.
Reuters tells us that the city of Amsterdam announced plans Monday “to clean up its infamous ‘red light’ district to fight human trafficking, money laundering and drug abuse and replace prostitutes’ windows with upmarket boutiques.”
About two decades ago when I arrived at the Amsterdam railway station, I was mesmerized by the window “shows” and open soliciting (please remember that I was coming from the prudish/hyprocritical India…a temperament that matches well with American prudery/hypocrisy in such matters). No one could miss this red-light place…and I was on my way to meet my Dutch friends (a couple – both distinguished professors of philosophy) in their very respectable surroundings some distance away.
I have always marvelled at the peaceful/harmonious coexistence of people in Amsterdam with different mental/physical levels/lifestyles.
Let me continue with the Reuters story: “Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen told a news conference he wanted to clamp down on the organized criminals whose growing influence has corrupted the historic city center.
” ‘The romantic picture of the area is outdated if you see the abuses in the sex industry and that is why the council has to act,’ he said. ‘We don’t want to get rid of prostitution but we do want to cut crime significantly’.
“Prostitutes have plied their wares in the narrow alleys of the old center of Amsterdam for centuries. While they used to attract sailors and merchants in the city’s heyday as the heart of a global trading empire, they are now a huge tourist draw.
“Deputy mayor Lodewijk Asscher said the city wants to restore a number of historic buildings and reverse the decline of a large central area where brothels, sex clubs and the coffee shops that sell marijuana line the city’s canals. The neon-lit boudoirs that earn about 70 million euros ($100 million) a year should be limited to a few streets while drop-in centers for the homeless and drug addicts are relocated.
“They will be replaced by chic apartments, upmarket shops, galleries and high-quality hotels and restaurants, Asscher said, adding that young fashion designers already plan to display their clothes in the windows of one former brothel from January.
“Mariska Majoor, a former prostitute who now runs an information center in the red light district, said the city’s plans could force hundreds of women out of work or underground.” More here…
The painting above is by 16th/17th century artist Dirck van Baburen,at this site…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.