Stuttgart Diary: Meeting prostitutes and policemen in Germany

I had eagerly accepted the invitation to be present at the screening of my documentary film ‘Mumbai 400008—A story of betrayal, pain and desperation’, at Stuttgart. My film dealt with the lives of some 7,000 sex workers in Kamathipura following the pandemic. There was a strong Indian contingent at the Festival, usually held in July every year but appearing after a two-year gap this time. Screening of films would be followed by a lively discussion and question-answer session. It was overwhelming to receive the applause and a standing ovation after the screening. But, alas, I did not win any award. Well, there will be a next time, I promised myself.

Summer in Europe is the most pleasant time when people go out, travel and have fun. Educational institutions shut down, enabling children to travel either on their own or with parents. Holidays and leave are almost mandatory. For a Mumbaikar, Stuttgart at 30-32 degree Celsius was almost pleasant while locals complained of the ‘heat wave’. Germany, struggling to get back on its feet after the pandemic and the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine this year, has offered tourists a monthly pass for just nine Euros (approx INR 800) to take the train anywhere they like. To put the fare in context, my train fare from Frankfurt to Stuttgart cost 63 Euros! The tempting 9-Euro-a-month offer clearly worked and tourists from across the world flocked to Germany this summer.

Sadly, the vaunted train system in Germany, which once boasted of clockwork precision, has collapsed. Delays are endemic and Germans were quick to advise not to take their trains for granted. Leave early and pray you reach your destination in time, they suggested. For someone born and brought up in Mumbai, the advice was initially amusing, a Mumbaikar being so used to late local trains. But not for long. The 9-Euro offer on the Regionalbahn was, therefore, for tourists who were not pressed for time. The penny dropped. For my return journey to Frankfurt, it was advised that I start 12 hours before the flight time. It was curious because usually the 148 kilometre distance is covered by trains in one and a half hours. Unlike the local trains in Mumbai, where both faster and slower trains have fixed fare, I soon discovered that the fare in ICE (Inter-City Express) trains between Stuttgart and Frankfurt could cost anywhere between 23 and 63 Euros.

The advice to start 12 hours early from Stuttgart turned out to be God-sent. The ICE train arrived 80 minutes behind schedule, prompting some passengers to board the train to Berlin instead. Just when I had started breathing easy after boarding the train, it inexplicably stopped. We had been in the train for 40 minutes or so. There was no announcement and after an hour when the announcement was made, it was in German. My fellow passengers were of no help as they shrugged and indicated that they couldn’t communicate in English. It was after we reached Frankfurt, after a two-hour stoppage, that I finally had the answer. The sweet lady ticket inspector apologised and informed that a child had been molested in the train and the train had to stop for the local police to arrive and take the culprit away!

Stuttgart is known as Germany’s ‘Autohaupstadt’ or the car capital. Friends back home had suggested I visit the Mercedes-Benz or the Porsche museums in the city, showcasing the evolution of faster engines and snazzier models. But I was more interested in learning about the prostitutes there. An activist there, Veronika Kienzle, explained that the city has legally registered sex workers. They are given a medical certificate after a thorough check-up for sex-related diseases and HIV. If found medically unfit, they are barred from the trade. Their clients check thehealth card of the sex workers before striking a deal. Very transactional and businesslike. I explained that in India too prostitution is legal but brothels, pimps and soliciting are not! No sex worker in India needs a medical certificate or health card. Not surprisingly, my German friends were puzzled.

Having covered the crime and legal beat in Mumbai for newspapers, I grabbed the opportunity to visit a police station. It was neat and functional but I was bowled over by the policemen and policewomen. They were young and dashing, clearly fit and looked like models ready to pose for photo shoots. But next to my own diminutive frame, they appeared oversized giants. Cross them at your own peril. No photographs please, I was told firmly in German. I was witness to a happy man receiving back his lost i-phone. He had lost it while cycling three days ago. It wasn’t clear how the Polizei recovered the phone. But they managed to take the help of IT experts and crack it open. They tracked the owner and summoned him to produce the documents for verification. In no time the phone had been handed over to the man, who walked out with a broad smile.

(This article was first published in National Herald on Sunday.)