High demand for mujra dances in Hyderabad, most parties slip under radar
HYDERABAD: Following a raid on a dance bar in Ranigunj on Saturday night, Deccan Chronicle found that there is a high demand for mujra dances in the city, with around 70 per cent of the parties in the city having a mujra dance as a status symbol, sources said.
Munni Begum, a mujra organizer, said that the influx of bachelors from other states had dramatically raised the demand for obscene and nude dances that are otherwise organised in mostly rural settings.
“Mujra dances are secretly organised in private places that the police can't even imagine. For one hour, we charge Rs 80,000 for two women dancers. If the customer wants dances for an all-night party or more dancers, the cost can go up to Rs 3 lakh,” she said.
Ninety-seven-year-old Habeen Khan alias Ghumman bhai, who had organised mujra dances for royalty, said that mujra dances are transforming into obscene dances, with women dressed scantily and dancing on poles or at customers’ tables.
Khan said that obscene dances should be banned, terming traditional mujra a classical art form if done correctly.
Historians said that while the mujra was popular during the Nizam rule, the dancers’ families were badly hit after it ended. Some of them, it was said, turned to the sex trade. Subsequently, over 130 families left the city for Lucknow after a crackdown by the police.
Shamshad Begum, amujra organiser, said that 14 families were currently dependent on the mujra, but that they have to perform obscene dances too to make a living.
“These families not only perform mujra in the city and suburbs, but also in other countries, especially Dubai and the Gulf. We have relatives in Mumbai, Lucknow, Bihar and Bengaluru too. We do not encourage prostitution; our dancers are decent and we take bookings from selected customers. We charge around Rs 2.5lakh to Rs 4 lakh per programme,” Shamshad Begum said.
Organisers, however, said there was only demand for obscene dances and these were organised under the guise of mujra parties at residences or farmhouses in Moinabad, Manneguda, Chevella, Kompally, Ghatkesar and Abdullapurmet.
Kareemunnisa Begum alias Surerya, who used to be a mujra dancer, said: “When I was a kid, I used to see my mother wearing the ‘ghungru’, applying mehndi and carrying a shining German silver pan box on several occasions. She used to say ‘Aaj Nawab sahab aa rahe hai (Nawab is visiting us today)’.”
A police officer acquainted with the issue said: “We have formed special operation teams (SOTs) to keep an eye on obscene dances, gambling, prostitution and recently arrested a kingpin and rescued a victim.”
“We have installed cameras on sub roads leading to farmhouses and monitor them from the police station. Apart from that, our SOTs are in the field and have drastically developed their network,” the officer said.
