When you are trained in Kathak, nobody even wants to talk about mujra or tawaifs, as they are not considered respectable," says Sufi Kathak dancer Manjari Chaturvedi, who is getting her show, The Courtesan Project, to the city this week. The show tells the stories of the often-maligned tawaifs (an image not helped by their Bollywood portrayals), who were stigmatised by society and their contribution to the arts never documented. "I often say, 'Ghazal-thumri hai zinda, tawaif ko maar diya hai.' That's because what they brought to the world of music and dance is mostly neglected."

Chaturvedi was first introduced to the tawaif tradition when she met the 'last tawaif', Zarina, in Lucknow 20 years ago. The singer, who Chaturvedi regards as a mix of a tawaif and the Mirasin singers, came in touch with Chaturvedi when she sent an application to the Sufi Kathak Foundation for a pension. "She was paralysed and we decided to help her. I went to Lucknow to meet her, and was distraught to see her situation. She lived in one room with one window, and she sat by it the whole day. And, then, I asked her, 'What can I do for you?' and she said, 'Beti, all I want to do is wear a Benarasi sari and be on stage.'