Bar girls returning home to Bihar from Mumbai
Supriya Sharma
(NDTV News)
Saturday, October 15, 2005 (Sasaram):


Even as Sasaram in Bihar gears up for the polls and the festive
season, the latest buzz seems to be that of the bar girls who are
returning home from Mumbai.

The young girls, who had moved to Mumbai in search of a living, have
been forced to return home after the dance bars shut down.

Survival has clearly become a struggle for these girls, with one of
them telling NDTV she was forced to switch to doing mujras.

"I could earn barely Rs 30 a day with the mujras. It was not enough to
pay the rent, bear the other expenses and send money home. So I had to
come back," she said.

The girl added that back in their home state, some of them were
invited for dance shows during Dusshera and Diwali celebration. But
that too helped them earn as little as Rs 1500 a night, to be shared
by the entire group.

Some of the girls say they are more concerned about the loss of their
freedom, than the fall in their income.

"In Bihar we live under pressure and fear. One cannot refuse dance
shows, there could be repercussions. But in Mumbai noone could force
us to work," a bar girl said.

The bar girls are just a more visible face of Bihar's migrant labour,
lakhs of whom are forced to leave their homes in search for work. But
while they may have had to return home for want of an alternative,
they seem happy at the prospect of being able to cast their votes in
the upcoming elections.