Historically, voices of women were pushed to the margin and within that the voices of courtesans were very nearly silenced. It is little known that these female entertainers known variously as tawaifs in the North, devadasis in the South, baijis in Bengal and naikins in Goa, played a pivotal role in India’s freedom stuggle. Azeezunbai, Begum Hazrat Mahal & Hussaini are some names who became local legends and many anecdotes survive to this day about their unique contributions.
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