Sureka was brought up in a brothel by her mother who was a sex worker.  As a young girl she had seen Devadasis dressed in beautiful saris and jewellery, afforded with their earnings from sex work.  She knew that she wanted to become a Devadasi. In an attempt to dissuade Sureka from this life choice, her mother left the brothel with Sureka and her two young brothers but struggled to support them. Threats from a loan shark to whom she owed money pushed Sureka into starting sex work.