Gujaratis get more action during Navratri and other truths about sex life in India
Despite our sanskaari upbringing, the general lack of sexual awareness and the regressive puritanical society we live in, we are a kinky lot. After all this time, Indians are finally opening up to the idea that they can live up to their ancestors' talents — who penned the oldest sex-manual in the world.
Perhaps it’s because we live in the age of the internet where information (especially sexual) is available for all to consume and it is heartening to see Indians celebrating sexual freedom.
According to a report in NDTV, India is the fifth most sexually active country in the world after Greece, Brazil, Russia and Poland — which is quite the wonder seeing how sex, even in metropolitan India, is still seen as a taboo. Predictably, and sadly, it is still just men who have the privilege of being more open about their kinks and preferences.
The India Uncovered survey conducted by That’s Personal, an Indian start-up that sells adult products like edible body paints, slinky lingerie, erotic board games etc online analysed data from more than 80,000 orders. The results show that 62 per cent of That's Personal's customers are men, while 38 per cent are women.
Although the survey does indicate that while more number of men buying the products, it is the women who buy more products – a woman’s cart is almost 18 per cent larger than a man’s on an average.
While the numbers indicate the obvious – Indian women continue to be sexually repressed, it is still great to see that a small chunk, at least, has broken free from the shackles of sanskar. Let’s take a look at what else the survey says:
Women seem to have a soft spot for intimate massagers; they were the highest-sold sex products for women. Men, on the other hand, seem to favour lubricants. But these are definitely not the only things Indian men and women buy to satisfy their kinks. Delay sprays, sexy lingerie, pleasure rings, condoms and “sexcitement” lotions have found buyers in Indians as well.
Maharashtra seems to be the most sexually active state in India, followed by Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The survey adds a fun fact: Gujarat ranks third on the list during Navratri. The survey is a big reveal on the sexual liberation (or the lack of it) of North India.
In terms of cities, Mumbai is the most sexually active, followed by Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmadabad. Here too, one can see a clear lack of representation from North India. The survey, however, adds that if one were to view the National Capital Region as a whole (basically Delhi + Gurgaon + Noida), the NCR does have an edge over Mumbai, in terms of sale of sex products.
Of course Tier II and Tier III cities should not be overlooked. Noida and Shillong top these two lists respectively.
Are the gen-next the kinkiest, though? Maybe not. The survey indicates that 18- to 24-year-olds make up only 22 per cent of the buyers, whereas 25- to 34-year-olds make up nearly 44 per cent. In fact, they are also the most regular customers. Interestingly, in the category of those above the age of 45, women tend to have an edge over men.
The top-selling product, of course, is the lubricant, with 18 per cent of all buyers tracking them; intimate massagers come second (pun unintended) with 16 per cent of the buyers. 14 per cent of men bought delay sprays – aerosol sprays that postpone ejaculation.
13 per cent women bought products related to romance, and 13 per cent of men bought lingerie. 12 per cent of women bought pleasure ring and other devices and only about five per cent of women bought condoms.
The survey also indicates that Indians have a few well-defined kinks. The most-bought role-play costume was that of a nurse. Even in bed, Indian men want to be taken care of. And the most bought “kinky” product was handcuffs. Looks like 50 Shades of Grey managed to have an impact on Indians — or maybe its the steady diet of porn films.
Additionally, the most popular men’s innerwear bought was thongs. And the kinks really vary from one star to another.
For example, West Bengal bought the most number of candy panties, while Assam bought the most number of BDSM products (Bondage and Discipline, Domination and Submission, Sadomasochism). Punjabi women bought the highest number of sexcitement products. Telangana men bought the most number of thongs (for themselves) and Uttar Pradesh men bought penis-enlargement products.
One last thing this survey points out is that both men and women tend to make the maximum number of purchases between 10pm and 1am – basically in the dead of night. And that’s understandable. Indians may be getting kinkier, but they are still private about their sex lives.
India Uncovered may be instrumental in changing that though. The more people are made aware of the fact that buying sex toys and pleasure items is commonplace, the further it will take sex away from taboo and shame.
Hopefully, the next survey will indicate better action.