By Sourya Majumder:
Indian ‘society’ is notorious for its reluctance to talk about matters sexual – an image not helped by modern-day Bollywood, that ever-present gatekeeper of Indian popular culture. And asking for a sensitive depiction? You might as well hope that the word ‘homosexual’ isn’t muted in a telecast of “Aligarh”.
As this refreshingly frank podcast from Agents of Ishq shows that there is a whole range of diverse sexual experiences – and ever so often, people talking about them – that are shoved under the rug to maintain this image of sexual naiveté. It features a man identified as ‘Manu’ talking about his earliest sexual experiences and how he eventually came to really like sex.
Sexual exploration – physical or otherwise – may not be an easy proposition in this country, but it is also an inextricable part of growing up and figuring out your identity. Whether sex interests you at all, or precisely what kinds of sex do, etc. And so it finds a way, and listening to this very personal yet highly engaging and humorous podcast makes you realise just how much we can benefit from encouraging people to be open about their experiences, internalised prejudices notwithstanding.