Why sex is still a dirty word

When condom-vending machines were installed in a Union ministry building in Delhi a few years ago, the babus went red in the face and demanded their removal.When an eight-foot-high condom was put on display in the lobby of the Andhra Pradesh assembly recently and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu suggested similar decorations at venues of all public meetings, a hue and cry was raised against the move.Such reaction seems ironical, in a land which gave the world its first treatise on sex (Kamasutra), which boasts a rich tradition of erotic architecture, and where sex was part of formal education till the 13th century.But in modern India, the S-word has been banished to the closet.Why and when did Indians turn prudish? Sexologist Prakash Kothari attributes this swing to Islamic and British influences which spawned a new, somewhat prudish, moral code in India. Before that, the Indian attitude towards sex was more open. The numerous references in the Gita and the construction of Khajuraho temples show that ''sex was treated with the deference it deserves,'' says Dr Kothari.Psychologist and writer Sudhir Kakkar is in accord. ''When Muslims arrived, Hindus perceived them a threat to their culture. As a result, the Brahminical class became more influential as keepers of Hindu purity against Islamic influences. The emphasis on rituals increased. The advent of the British and Victorian prudery only deepened our obsession with ritualistic purity. In the process, sex became a dirty word,'' says Kakkar. And it continues to this day. ''On the other hand,'' he adds, ''there has always been a dynamic balance between the erotic and the ascetic in the Indian context. From the fourth to the tenth century, the erotic was markedly dominant in Indian society. Then the ascetic trait became dominant. In our times, the erotic has been in the forefront since the '60s. Unless we change drastically, the ascetic will once again become dominant. This cycle will go on.''According to Delhi-based psychiatrist Achal Bhagat, personal taboos emanate from social taboos. ''Once you demolish personal taboos, social taboos will crumble automatically. I think we have started breaking personal taboos. The younger generation is demanding more and more information about sex. Media columns, agony aunts, public debates and judicial verdicts are putting things in perspective and breaking the prevailing mystique about sex. Attitudes on sexual matters are changing fast.''However, he adds, it will take a lot of time for this newly acquired permissiveness to get institutionalised in society. ''Collectively, we have a long way to go,'' Bhagat concludes.