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I remember it distinctly when CBSE instructed all schools to conduct sex-ed workshops for high school and higher secondary students (class IX onwards). In one of these workshops on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), a few of our classmates enacted a short play to highlight the ostracization faced by people suffering from such diseases due to the social stigma associated with STDs. I am ashamed to admit that rather than understanding the crux of the matter most of us were indulging in making fun of those who played the role of those suffering from STDs. The shame that I feel is retrospective. So was the fact that none of the teaching faculty present in the workshop made any effort to make us realize the gravity of the issue.
What is happening with OMG-2 today reminds me of that workshop wherein the naivete of the students, conservatism of the teachers, and the taboo topic of all things associated with sex led to CBSE’s quest to make schools a safe place to discuss sexuality to be an utter failure. As a millennial, most of what my generation (and the upcoming ones) will learn about sex will be via OTT platforms which will no doubt cover topics much more diverse than those found in the Playboy magazines of erstwhile era. Some will even resort to subscribing to websites catering exclusively to explicit content (Pornhub is the leading choice among most teenagers and adults round the globe). But needlessly to say, Indian society will largely remain closed to formalizing sex education even though, ironically, we are the most populous country in the world. What’s more baffling is that when Hindu culture is portrayed as backward and restrictive, the protectors of Dharma will cite the existence of historical sites such as the temples in Khajuraho and the source of the sexual motifs etched on the walls of these temples, the classic book on sex, Kāma-sūtra. If linking religion to sex (or vice versa) is an offence against the Hindu dharma, these self- proclaimed devout Hindus ought to axe the monuments at Khajuraho and organize a ritualistic bonfire to expunge the existence of Kāma-sūtra.
My parents are doctors, they are well-versed in human biology, but none was bothered about my sexual education. I am sure among all the readers of this article, there’s barely anyone who can say otherwise (as a student of science, I can’t deny the probability of there being even a small fraction of parents open about such a sensitive topic with their children). Is this how we expect teenage pregnancy to be avoided? Can we be sure that impressionable teenagers will understand the weight of consent in a sexual relationship? If we keep our mouths shut and eyes averted to the necessity of sex education, we will be ones to be blamed if a tragic incident such as that which happened with Pankaj Tripathi’s character’s son happens with one of our own. We need to get out of the Victorian mentality of sex only after marriage. Marriage is not a prerequisite to sex and sex need not be forced by one party in a marital relationship onto the other (spousal rapes go largely unreported).
A sex-positive society allows less possibility for the upcoming generations to learn about sex from illicit sources which mislead them often. It will also have a direct impact on reducing sexually motivated crimes in our country. Watching OMG-2 is not anti-Hindu, it is by far perhaps the most open discussion on the role of sex in society and its significance in Hinduism.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.