“We are going to die soon,” the woman sitting on a chair along the potholed road declares – almost as if making a prophecy. She is surrounded by four other women, who are sitting on the porch and listening intently, as the dark clouds hover above.
“If this situation continues for another two to four months, we will surely die,” she reiterates, this time her voice more firm, though her expression remains unchanged.
Jogamasi (name changed), or ‘Maa’ as she is addressed in the area, has never seen a crisis of this magnitude in the last 63 years she has spent in Mali Sahi – a red light area in Bhubaneswar.
The COVID-19 pandemic has snatched away the livelihood of the sex workers and left them in a lurch.