UPDATE: This is a travelogue I wrote many years ago. However, every month, over 300 visitors from India find this web page when they search “Sonagachi” on Google. I suppose many of them do not come for the interests in traveling but seeking sex. That makes me uncomfortable. Finally I decided to hide all the location information (street name, GPS, map) in this article. Fuck them all.
Kolkata, the largest red light district in Asia. In 2004, an Oscar winner documentary <Born into Brothels> was filmed in the red light district which named “Sonagachi”, so I was interested to visit this area when I arrived Kolkata. However, it’s not easy for foreigners to find the place quickly. There is no “Sonagachi” the point on Google Map. To google the name, all the results are not quite clear.
- Sonagachi is located in North Kolkata near the intersection of **** Avenue and **** with **** Street.
— You will not find “**** with **** Street”. - about one kilometer north of Kolkata’s **** area.
— It’s true, but it does not mean you could find it. - from **** metro station Sonagachi is 3 minutes walking distance.
— Also true, but which direction?
The GPS coordinate on Wikipedia is not accurate as well. Actually, the red light district is not very large as you imagine. The central brothels area is smaller than any large casino in Las Vegas. Especially in daytime – maybe you are afraid to visit at night – most of the brothels seem no difference with other buildings. Walking on the street over ****, guessing whether the lady walking around you is a prostitute. What an absurd adventure, I talked to myself.
It took me more than 2 hours seeking between **** and ****, till I give up to find it via Google. I tried to take a tu-tu Taxi: “Sonagachi? Women?” Surprisely (but I like it), many Taxi refused to drive me there. Some of them just showed me the direction. Then I kept walking and asking, finally I found it.
The main streets of the red light district are **** St and **** St. In each alley you can see many brothels and pimps and prostitutes, but they are not very far from the main streets.
Considering the street names always change in India. I think the correct GPS coordinates should be < N**.**** E**.**** >.
map (deleted).
Sonagachi is dangerous, with its HIV rates and some blackmail issues in the deal. But it is not so dangerous if you just want to have a look. The district is close to city central. On **** St there are food and grocery stores. Many local people live there as a normal India busy area. At the crossing of the two main streets, policemen sit aside the shrine, with or without uniform, but it seems they are just to prevent violence.
Following my instruction, two young girls in my hotel visited Sonagachi the next evening. Of course they gained a lot of weird eyesight. Anyway, as foreigners, they did not feel much insecure at least on main streets.
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