Umrao Jaan: A Portrait of Human Trafficking of Indian Girl Child

“Agale Janam Mohe, Betiya na kijo”

“In next birth of mine, Oh God, don’t bring me as a girl child!”

By Madhu Chandra

The Umrao Jaan is a Bollywood film produced by Muzaffar Ali in 1981, which was remake by J. P.
Dutta in 2006, a story of Indian girl child and an Urdu novel “Umrao Jaan Ada” written in 1905 by
Mirza Hadi Ruswa based on the famous Lucknow courtesan.

It is a story of an Indian girl child who laments her agony of life, a victim of human trafficking,
composed in form of poetry and music with soul gripping lyric “Agale janam mohe, betiya na
kijo,” “In next birth of mine, Oh God, don’t bring me as a girl child”

It is the song of a woman, whose childhood was looted when she was kidnapped by her neighbour
Dilwar Khan to revenge her father for testifying in a criminal case which led him imprisoned for
several years. At the age of eight, she was sold to a brothel at Lucknow, latter adopted by a couple
to bring her up with care, education, dance, poetry and music, only to fit to charm the wealthy in a
famous courtesan of Lucknow.

Ameeran, her parental name changed to famed “Umrao Jaan” (love) from wealthy men, who came
to the courtesan, who later was labelled as “Bazaar Aurat, a prostitute”

In the remake version, former Miss Universe and Bollywood Super Star, Aishwarya Rai acted as
Umrao Jaan along with Abhishek Bachchan as Nawab Sultan and Sunil Shetty as Faiz Ali.

At the age of 20, when she is fully grown matured, Umrao got the title “Jaan” after performing a
charming courtesan dance and singing at Lucknow. Umrao got the eyes of wealthy princes, kings,
and Nawabs.

Nawab Sultan was one among many wealthy men, whose love was stolen by charms of Umrao at
first meeting itself. Soon, Umrao got into the net of Sultan, with true passionate romance, not
knowing her love for Sultan will be rejected soon. Sultan’s father did not want to defame his family
by allowing his son marrying a “Bazaar Aurat” and disowned him later when he refuses to forsake
his lover. When Sultan didn’t have a penny after his father disowned him he went to live with his
uncle at Grahi.

In the absent of Sultan, Umrao catches the eye of a wealthy Faiz Ali, who wanted her at any cost.
Faiz Ali turned to be a dacoit and got arrested during a journey to Grahi with Umrao. Sultan heard
the news about Faiz Ali and Umrao’s coming to Grahi, and questioned Umrao about the suspicious
relationship with Faiz Ali.

When forsaken by her lover, broken-hearted, Umrao, finally decided to return back to her cage of
courtesan at Lucknow, where at her arrival, raped by her childhood friend in brothel, latter she
forgave him unconditionally.

Soon British attacked the city and forced her to leave Lucknow and decided to go to her forgotten
childhood home at Faizabad. She found her father already death. Mother and brother refused to
accept her because of her profession.

Umrao shunned by her family, her lover and society leaves to return to Lucknow, but fate plays
another joke and on her way out the city, she encounters the man who kidnapped and sold her to the
brothel in the first place. Poor, wretched, homeless and injured, the man begs for pity, not
recognizing that she is Ameeran. She essentially forgave him. Shunned by all and having forgiven
those who destroyed her life, she lives the rest of her days in Lucknow with her poetry and ill fate.
Umrao Jaan’s story reflects what a girl child looks like in Indian society where Indian girl child
faces abuse and gender discrimination. It is based on a 100 years old fictional story of human
trafficking, quite different from present form. It is story that reflects the life of a girl child, whose
choice is nothing but the slavery through out life, beginning under dominion of father at childhood,
husband at married life and son at old age.

The story reflects the gender discrimination, female feticides, and female infanticides in our
society. The story reflects the girl child trafficking, pushing many into the life like of Umrao Jaan.
Trafficking includes men, women and children who are forced to commercial sex work and sexual
exploitation, forced and exploitative labour, marriage and forced marriage, adoption, organ
transplantation, begging and mafia beggars and drug peddling. (Traffiking and the Law, New Delhi:
HRLN, 2006, 6-8). Majority of those who are trafficked are from Dalit and tribal communities of
India. Poverty, lack of job opportunities, ignorance, promise of false job and free education are
some of the key factors of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is reported worldwide as the largest organised crimes. National Human Rights
Commission’s senior research officer Savita Bhakhry says, “Trafficking in human beings, more in
women and children, is one of the fastest growing forms of criminal activity, next only to drugs and
weapons trade, generating unaccountable profits annually.” (Savita Bhakhry, “Human Rights and
Trafficking in Persons,” Combat Law, 5/3 (2006, 44). India is also affected by this epidemic, which
is not recognized as one of the greatest threat to human rights violation. To the challenges of
organised crime of human trafficking which has affected children and women, particularly in the
areas where people live in socio-educational and economically backward areas. Jasmine May who
is running rescue home in Asia along with her husband says,

Depending on who you listen to, there are between 2.5 million and 15 million prostituted people in
India. 50% of women in Mumbai's brothels are believed to be HIV positive. 200 women and girls
enter the sex trade in India every day, 160 of whom do so under coercion. In a recent study in
Mumbai, 90% of adult women currently being prostituted said they had begun sex work prior to age
18. Thus suggests that most were either born into brothels or sold into sex slavery.” With customers
demanding younger girls, the average age of girls in the brothels continues to go down--currently it
is at 14, with girls as young as 8 being trafficked for sex. (Jasmine May, Assist News, July 30, 2010)

Human Rights Law Network based at Delhi reports, “International Organization for Migration
estimates that the global trafficking industry generates up to US$ 8 billion every year. Rough
estimates by the UN suggest that 70000 to 2 million persons trafficked across international borders
annually are women and children.” (Traffiking and the Law, New Delhi: HRLN, 2006, 9). It is
violation of human rights that India as nation needs to address the issue and the Church in India
needs to seek to the questions on how to respond to the issue.

The film ends with a song after shunned by her mother and brother. Umrao laments -

Tell me. Have you seen such a farewell?

No mother nor father nor brother.
No one is there.”
Tears are the ornaments and the palanquin of sorrow.
The locked doors are bidding farewell to me.
Never return here even in your dreams.

Look at my lover, he has broken my heart

After abandoning me midway,
He is setting a new life
As like a child gets new toy,
Plays with it for some days and then forgets
 Don’t make me a doll like this, who cannot even cry.

In next birth of mine,

Oh God, don’t birth me as a girl child!
Whatever you have done now,
Oh God, don’t do it again.

Where Umrao Jaan was shunned and forsaken, no one could hear the song that narrates her misery,
but it was Mirza Hadi Ruswa, who heard as she cried -

You call me, “the voice of broken heart.”

I am the instrument, which contains all melodies
Who am I, what am I, and for whom am I alive?
I myself do not understand.
Tell me the secret.
Tell me the secret.

Madhu Chandra is a social activist and research scholar based in New Delhi. He works as
Regional Secretary of All India Christian Council and Spokes Person of North East Support Centre
& Helpline (www.nehelpline.net)