Kruti Khan (name changed on request) was around 26 when she realised that she had been infected with HIV. As she had been working as a sex worker for almost a decade, it was not possible for her to determine whom she received the infection from. However, being HIV positive did not stop Kripa from following her dreams. Determined to be successful in life, Kruti took up studying again and graduated with a degree in BCom and is currently doing her Masters in IT from a state open university.
Kruti was forced into prostitution at an age of 15 due to dire financial crisis. Then she was smuggled to Mumbai from Kolkata and since then she has been staying at a slum in Malad. However, neither did her profession nor HIV manage to dissuade her from continuing with her academic career.
“Once I was done looking after my clients, I used to read at night, lighting candles in my room. My brothel’s landlady often used to beat me and tear my books. But I continued with my studies and gradually my customers started getting books for me,” said Kruti.
Her dedication earned her a first class in her matric examination. “My whole brothel celebrated when the results were declared,” she said.
She then completed BCom from Mumbai University and is currently doing her Masters. “All my classmates know about my past profession, the struggle that I had to undergo and they feel proud of me. They have written about me in the college journal,” she added.
Due to the infection, she often feels weak and feeble and is unable to stand on her feet. Despite this, every day, she prepares her lessons and goes to a coaching class to learn English. “I always wanted to speak English like a foreigner so this time, I enrolled myself in a private class to learn the language. Now, I can also speak in English,” Kruti said.
But her daily struggle with HIV continues unabated. Every day, she takes medicine under antiretroviral therapy to keep HIV infection under control. No longer in the flesh trade, Kruti is now working with an NGO that helps
HIV-infected patients in Malad. “It was not my fault that I was born poor and had to get into the business of selling sex to earn money for my family. But I did not waste my life by cursing my luck. I fought back and fulfilled my dreams,” she said.
