The study examines the status of women in the modern India with reference to the stigma of the term ‘prostitute’ used to denote the protagonist having paid no heed to the trials and tribulations she had undergone and ignoring the fact that she was rather cornered than given a choice. This calls for an analysis of social taboos that have played havoc in the lives of the marginalized women. Nalini Jameela’s autobiography translated to English as "The Autobiography of a Sex-worker" in 2007 by J. Devika, is rather the voice of the voiceless against the vice social taboos. Her account of her childhood, the relationship of her mother and father, her unsuccessful marriages, her decision to take up prostitution for survival, her acquaintance with customers clearly ring the bell of societal perception regarding the women who are poorly educated and hardly liberated. This study indirectly highlights the need for women to be well-educated, economically independent, courageous, self-sufficient and able to design their life by choosing the right kinds of choices in every walk of life. In addition to this, it stresses that there is a need to bring in change in the patriarchal structure before we talk about feminist rights or female liberation. The emancipation of women will not be achieved completely until and unless it results in happy females and harmonious society where men and women go hand in hand mutually loving, caring and respecting each other.
