Mumbai sex workers' daughters get support from US, none from India

Its station of origin may be Kamathipura and oceans may separate it from its destinations but that is not going to prevent the Lal Batti Express from making stops at New York Chicago Los Angeles Washington DC and San Francisco this month onwardsThe girls say the playrsquos name the Lal Batti Express refers both to redlight areas and VIP beacons and symbolises their journey from the margins to the mainstreamDirected scripted by and starring 13 daughters of sex workers from one of Asiarsquos largest red light districts Lal Batti Express tells their story and those of their mothers and is about to make these girls the first from Kamathipura to stage a play in the United States They may also appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show and visit the White HouseThe girls themselves have been subjected to beatings by abusive fathers and some of them have even been molested by their stepfathersIf people come forward to pay for their flight tickets to the United States that is In a matter of shame for the city and the country Americans have come forward to support the girls and have agreed to pay for all the expenses that the girls will incur during their stay in the US but Indians have not given the girls the only thing that they had asked their countrymen for plane tickets to the United StatesMissed opportunityThe first staging of the play is supposed to take place on May 9 in New York but itrsquos nearly impossible for the girls to get the tickets before that They are however hopeful that they can make it for the later stages of their itinerary They will be in the United States till June 15The girls are supposed to visit New York Washington DC Chicago San Francisco and Los Angeles Two to four performances of the play are supposed to take place in all these cities after which they are supposed to visit NGOs there The girls are slated to perform at the Field Museum USArsquos most famous natural history museum and a South Asian domestic violence shelter in ChicagoOther performances include one at the CBS TV studio in Los Angeles and at three Hindu temples across the US Some tentative plans include a visit to the White House visit an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show a performance at the Indian consulate in Chicago The costs for all of these have been borne by Americans A visit to the Niagara Falls was also planned but they may have to miss that if they miss out on the first screening in New York on May 9Outpouring of supportldquoIn the past two weeks an airline in the US has agreed to take care of all of our domestic flights in the US and a group of supporters on Facebook has rallied to donate everything else on the girlsrsquo wishlist A Chicago pizza dinner tickets to a Broadway show in NYC a visit to the Sears Tower in Chicago Indian food in all cities and 2500 in restaurant gift certificatesrdquo said Robin Chaurasiya cofounder of NGO Kranti which the girls are a part ofThe only thing the girls lack are plane tickets to the US ldquoPlane tickets were the only thing we had asked Indians for Everything else our hotel stay food entertainment have all been donated by Americansrdquo she saidldquoIrsquom not trying to guilt anyone but the thing is therersquos been an unbelievable outpouring of support from the USGranted many of the benefactors are IndianAmericans but there are others too I read recently that the Indian hockey team needed tickets to fly to a tournament and those were given to them by generous Indians Why on earth is India not proud enough of our girls to want to support their journeyrdquo said Chaurasiya