Celina Jaitly Instagram – A TRIBUTE TO THE TAWAIF’S OF LUCKNOW ( @celinajaitlyofficial as Azeezunbai) Being from Lucknow, a city of great cultural heritage I was always fascinated by the stories of the dynamic and beautiful courtesans, the “Tawaif-Bazi” in books & some legends narrated by my old governess “Bakkan Bua” who when she retired came home every “Bada Din” (Christmas) with glass bangles and her stories as gifts for me. When the Awadh capital was shifted in 1775 to Lucknow it became the locus of tawaif-bazi (courtesan culture) and in the lavish houses in the bazaars of Chowk and Qaiserbagh, the tawa’ifs established themselves as a notable group of women in the 80 odd years that the Awadh dynasty had Lucknow as its capital. The courtesans of Lucknow were amongst the highest earners, and their names were found in the tax records, who in the 19 century, were treated as influential elites and these women were well respected members of the court and society. An association with them was a matter of prestige. The kothas was a place where women were free, economically independent, and could use resources as they desired, the equivalent of an Indian Geisha they excelled in the arts of poetry, music, dancing, singing, and were often considered to be the authority on etiquette. They were also unsung heroes of India’s freedom struggle. Unfortunately, The word tawaif is today used as a profanity. That wasn’t always the case,it was the British system reduced their high status to just “common prostitution”. The colonial power crushed them and made this powerful institution lose its cultural symbol. By taking spiteful actions against them, they degraded the entire profession. #tawaif #lucknow #lucknowblogger #lucknowdiaries #mythoughts #sundayvibes #storiesofindia #storiesoflucknow #celina #celinajaitly #celinajaitley #courtesan #india #history #historicalfashion #historicalfacts #bollywood #historyofindia #indianphotography Photograph: @vickkyidnaaniphotography