Prostitution has always been a controversial issue in India. Even the leading politicians and eminent personalities have avoided talking about the topic. It has always created ripples of tension and in a conservative social set up like that of India and is still a taboo. The society is definitely opening up with generation Y taking up the lead but still, there is definitely long way to go.
Amidst such an environment, a new book titled Nazaqat, penned by Sasha H Singhal was released. Published by Half Baked Beans, the book grabbed the attention but surprisingly, readers took it in a positive way. Unlike other regular prostitutes, Nazaqat is a very high profile prostitute who has adopted prostitution on her will. There have been a lot of books talking about the same issue – most famous of them being Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho. However, the setup of eleven minutes was not in India and till now, there has been no book which talks about the life of a high profile prostitute in India.
As indicated by the blurb, Nazaqat – the protagonist becomes an entrepreneur and starts a quest to legalize prostitution in India. Also, there is an element of thrill and mystery but largely its contemporary fiction written very dramatically.
Author Sasha H Singhal is basically a pen name for a young writer – Harsh Agarwal who has already authored a couple of books. He is an entrepreneur and also conducts workshops on creative writing. The book was officially launched in Delhi at Indian Coffee house and got attention of media and bloggers.
Media also appreciated the book and applauded the effort to bring out a fresh perspective towards prostitution. It is very surprising to see that readers also taking it as very positively. The kind of topic it dealt with, it was predicted that the book will fetch controversies. Fortunately, it is being taken with a sporting spirit.
The book is available at all leading ecommerce websites of India including Flipkart, Homeshop18, amazon and Infibeam.
Naazani, a shy girl with a lonely childhood, was born and brought up in Dehradun. She moves to a metropolitan for further education and gets absorbed. In a series of events, she decides to adopt prostitution and becomes one of the most successful high profile escorts of the city with the help of her manager Sharat.
In a quest to be successful, she leaves her friends behind and dedicates more time to her profession. Nazaqat witnesses a police raid at a nearby place and the real scenario of prostitution terrifies her.She decides to take a stand and do something about it. However, Sharat convinces her that she is not powerful enough to make a difference.
Nazaqat retires and pool all her money and starts a restaurant – Joy Foods
foods in partnership with Sharat. The business grows and soon enough they have numerous outlets in various cities and Naazani Singh Shekhawat emerges as a significant entrepreneur of nation.
To cherish the old memories, she organizes a group together and calls all her old friends. Next morning, it is found that something drastic happened the night before.
Meanwhile, she invites an author – Matthews, who is an old acquaintance to pen down her own biography. He visits her each night and in a series of ten nights, her story finds its crescendo.
Will prostitution be legalized? What’s her intention with the biography she is planning? What shall be the fate of Naazani Singh Shekhawat aka Nazaqat?
Nazaqat is a very detailed and carefully woven story which is a unique blend of thrill and drama. It is a refreshing story about a girl who adopts prostitution on her own will and starts a quest to legalize prostitution in India. While it’s entertaining because of the commercial voice, it also addresses grave issues of feminism, prostitution and homosexuality in society.
