NEW DELHI: Srishti (Name changed) was a year-and-a-half old when her mother brought her to the shelter home, SPID SMS Centre, at Sraddhanand Marg. Now all of 24, she teaches in a private school and lives with her mother in east Delhi.
The centre where Srishti arrived as a kid is a refuge where sex workers often leave their children for safety. Established in 1991 at a non-operational MCD school building, the centre now takes care of about 70 inmates.
It took years for Lalitha Nayak, founder of the centre, to gain trust of the women working in brothels. Their faith had motivated her to do something for the children.
“We started off with a little space in the non-operational school. After two decades of constant visit to government offices, we were allocated two rooms for children in the building.”
Sitting among the children, Lalitha says kids often fall victims to violence when they stay at brothels. Additionally, children’s presence affects earnings of their mothers, she adds.
Besides providing food, clothes and shelter, the centre imparts basic education to its pupils, engages them in activities such as dance and painting, and follows up to provide further studies.
In the beginning, Srishti didn’t understand why her mother wanted her to leave the area where she was born. “I was in Class 10 when I found out about her (mother’s) profession. School friends used to ask what she does for a living. All I imagined was that she worked as a domestic help. I guess the ma’am at the shelter home and my mother couldn’t evade my frequent questions about my mother’s profession. They finally told me.”
Srishti was sent to a hostel in UP for education. But, the stigma of being born into a “different community” followed her. “The nun there was familiar with my background. Truth hit me on the face when she told me that I put makeup to attract men and such tactics runs in my blood.”
Within a year of this episode, Srishti was sent to Karnataka for a teaching course. “It was hard for me to understand then. I use to watch it in movies and was disgusted over the thought of my mother being surrounded by men. My mind often wondered why she made such a choice.”
A grateful Srishti regularly visits the centre, which, she says, has “always been home” to her.