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How India discovered sex, again

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DailyBiteApr 17, 2017 | 19:39

How India discovered sex, again

When I was in my teens, the shrill sound of the telephone ringing would have my heart racing – maybe, just maybe (please, please, please) it would be my crush of the moment…

Back then, the entire family depended on the one and only landline to conduct their affairs - the romantic as well as the routine. And if the landline was busted (which was more often than not), so was my almost non-existent love life (sexual thoughts were not to be entertained, teenage hormones or not). To say that a lot has changed since would perhaps be an understatement.

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Ours was a country that celebrated sex. As far back as the 2nd century BCE, the paintings at Ajanta caves depicted beautiful women in the nude. The Ellora caves also showcased erotic art between the 5th and 10th century.

Between the 9th and the 12th centuries, the sculptures at Khajuraho temple rejoiced in sex - from threesomes, orgies to bestiality. Clearly, sex was not taboo. Sex was to be enjoyed, not hidden behind closed doors.

But all of this was about to change. The Mughals arrived around the 14th century. Women now had to be covered up and kept from prying eyes.

Things took a turn for the worse with the British rulers who decided to impose their sense of morality on us. And so we came to shun sex. And look upon nudity as perverse.

While the rest of the world was discovering sexual liberation with the hippies in the 1970s, young men and women in India were still being married to the family and not each other, definitely not for love. The purpose of sex was procreation, not pleasure.

Then came the 1990s and the economy opened up. And MTV was unleashed. The exuberance of youth, the writhing hot, young bodies, the sexy clothes, the easy vibe… boys and girls across the country were mesmerised. A generation that was already dating and disco-hopping took easily to the open attitude towards sex.

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Along with MTV and international TV shows, came the internet. Suddenly, it was easier for the young ‘uns to have a private love life and sex life. Furtive sex was being had in cyber cafes where pornography was accessible for just a few rupees.

Things heated up further with the launch of cell phones. Steamy texts, steamier phone calls, way more sex.

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Sex is no longer the prerogative of the grown-ups alone.

Hooking-up had never been easier. And unlike me, young teenagers were not only entertaining sexual thoughts but also engaging in it freely.

A case in point: 2am. Diksha’s cell phone purrs softly. Blurry-eyed, she reaches for it. Her heart skips a beat.

Aakash: Hey. How are you?

Diksha smiles.

Aakash is not her boyfriend. He’s what’s euphemistically called a "friend with benefits". The benefits being unencumbered, uninhibited, unattached sex. Hot, sweaty, glorious sex. Sex for the joy of sex.

Diksha is a 30-something single woman. And she isn’t alone in enjoying sex for the sake of sex. Several of her single friends and a few of her married friends do, too. Sex has made a comeback and, with technology on their side, singles, the married and the "it’s complicated-s" are all happy to head to the bedroom. 

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“The number of infidelity cases I get today as compared to five years ago has gone up by more than 50 per cent,” says one marriage therapist and psychiatrist on an online news portal.

Couples are more ambitious these days - they want the jet-setting lifestyle they see all around them, on their favourite TV shows, in their friends’ Facebook/Instagram posts. In the hurly-burly of getting there, extramarital affairs sometimes serve as a coping mechanism, without the baggage of marriage and its expectations.

And sex is no longer the prerogative of the grown-ups alone. More and more teenagers are engaging in it.

The 4G generation not only has free access to laptops and iPads, but also cell phones with excellent connectivity. Cyber sex, phone sex, plain old vanilla sex, the selfie generation is uninhibitedly experimenting.

Cafes across the country are crawling with barely-legal kids unabashedly hitting on each other. Zombied out on coffee and cell phones, sometimes even cigarettes, they plan parties and after parties while swiping their phones for hook-ups.

Those less privileged stroll hand-in-hand through the ubiquitous shopping malls, turning to deserted parks or monuments for some private time.

And millennials across offices are as eager. They work hard, sure. But they play harder. Having grown up on reality shows that are as much about dating as they are about splitting, they couple-up with co-workers, the couplings often lasting no longer than the project they are working on. Long enough to do the dirty, though.

Sex is almost as important to a relationship now as love. No one is in a rush to get married and premarital sex is almost taken for granted. Young people go through multiple relationships before finally committing to someone and even then, it’s not always for keeps. Another hook-up is only a tap of the app away. 

(This post first appeared on Bonobology.com)

Last updated: May 06, 2018 | 16:52
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