Mumbai Cop’s Poem On Prostitution Selected For Literary Event

Nandkumar Sawant, a Mumbai policeman, has penned down a poem in Marathi on the plight of women who are forced into prostitution. Moreover, he will be reading out his poem at the All India Marathi Literary Meet in Vadodara on Saturday (Feb 17).

Sawant was posted as a hawaldar at a police chowki in Kamathipura, Mumbai's redlight area. After seeing the miserable condition of women who entered the world of prostitution, he felt compelled to write a poem.

Also: How Koshish Endeavours to Reinstate Sex Workers to the Mainstream

 “I used to post my poetry on social networking sites. I started writing regularly after I received a positive response,” - Sawant

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“When I was posted at Kamathipura, a relight area in Central Mumbai, in 2012, I closely observed the lives of prostitutes and the dark side of it. I started converting my observations into words and the poetry slowly took shape." he told HT. He sent it to All India Marathi Literary Conference and then then the selection happened.

Read Also: Sex Work and Prostitution: Empowerment or Oppression?

Also: Woman Escapes From Brothel, Helps Police Rescue Others

Know more about him

Sawant has been working in Mumbai Police for the last 20 years. Currently posted at Deputy Commissioner of Police, Port Zone office in South Mumbai, he started writing poems in 2010.

“I used to post my poetry on social networking sites. I started writing regularly after I received a positive response,” he said.

Last year in November, a woman sub-inspector from Coimbatore penned a book on parenting and ethical awareness.