Haunting images of Mumbai's largest red-light district, now endangered by real-estate pressures
Photographer Sudharak Olwe has spent more than a decade winning the trust of the residents of Kamathipura.
Like every neighbourhood in Mumbai, Kamathipura is in a state of flux. Because of rising real estate prices, the brothels in Mumbai's largest red-light district are giving way to residential towers. “Only 20 per cent of the brothels now remain," said photographer Sudharak Olwe, who has spent over a decade walking the lanes of Kamathipura and taking photographs of its residents.
It hasn't been easy. "To be able to enter their homes to take photographs, I had to first gain their trust." says Olwe. "They are wary of cameras." But he kept at it because he wanted to capture the lives of the neighbourhood's inhabitants without violating their dignity.
Olwe's photographs of Kamathipura will be on display at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery this week. The exhibition is a tribute to Dalit poet Namdeo Dhasal, who fought for the rights of the despised people of Kamathipura. Here are some images visitors can expect to see.
The piercing eyes of a sex worker.
Posters of film stars paper the rooms of sex workers.
Dilapidated brothels dot the lanes of Kamathipura.
A young sex worker.
Olwe's exhibition titled '11th Lane Kamathipura' will be on display at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai from March 20-26.
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It hasn't been easy. "To be able to enter their homes to take photographs, I had to first gain their trust." says Olwe. "They are wary of cameras." But he kept at it because he wanted to capture the lives of the neighbourhood's inhabitants without violating their dignity.
Olwe's photographs of Kamathipura will be on display at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery this week. The exhibition is a tribute to Dalit poet Namdeo Dhasal, who fought for the rights of the despised people of Kamathipura. Here are some images visitors can expect to see.
The piercing eyes of a sex worker.
Posters of film stars paper the rooms of sex workers.
Dilapidated brothels dot the lanes of Kamathipura.
A young sex worker.
Olwe's exhibition titled '11th Lane Kamathipura' will be on display at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai from March 20-26.