but how it works to create,
inform, and give meaning to these girls as they come
of age in this particular context. This section brings
together some of the defining aspects of growing up
as a young Devadasi today and highlights how
central these girls are to the workings of their
society, including the forces of political economy
and disease, factors that are often displaced in
favour of sensational depictions of the lone child
prostitute who exists as an imagined commodity in
some ‘other’ country.