Sonagachi, Red-light district in North Kolkata, India.
Sonagachi is a neighborhood in North Kolkata where multi-story buildings line narrow lanes and thousands of women work in the sex trade. The area mixes residential spaces with small shops, tea stalls, and markets that shape the daily rhythm of local life.
During colonial times, women settled here to live with British soldiers and traders who arrived without companions from England. Over the decades, the neighborhood grew into a dense center shaped by migration and urban poverty that persists today.
Community groups organize regular health programs and education initiatives for women working and living in the lanes. These efforts have helped residents speak up and claim their rights, visible today through small gatherings and group meetings held throughout the neighborhood.
The neighborhood sits near the crossing of Jatindra Mohan Avenue and Beadon Street, about one kilometer north of the Marble Palace. Visitors should move with discretion and respect the privacy of residents, as this remains a working and inhabited part of the city.
The name comes from Bengali words Sona Gachi, meaning Tree of Gold, linked to a historical figure named Sanaullah. In 1999, the area hosted the first international conference of sex workers, drawing attention to their rights and working conditions.
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