Indian society and culture are widely
perceived as
sexually repressive by the western media. Those who have
visited khajurho temples and have read Kamsutra can only realize
the importance that sex was given in Indian culture.
It was only after the
invasions and subsequent rule over India by Muslim invaders in middle
ages that the ideas about sex began to change. To conform with their
muslim rulers, Hindus created new rules for their womenfolk like the
purdah system and limited their freedom and movements. This strongly
deviated from the teachings of vedas and also the free flow of ideas
which was permitted in the vedic cultures.
The oldest worshipped God in India,
Shiva, is symbolized as a Shiva Linga, a small stone monolith. It is
accompanied by a Yoni at its bottom. Linga literally means a male
reproductive organ or penis and Yoni means a vagina. The Shiva Linga
itself highlights the role of reproduction in creation of the world.
The first God is the god of procreation.
Kalidasa, also called the 'Shakespeare
of India', wrote an epic in sanskrit in sanskrit, titled
Kumarsambhacvam. The eighth chapter of this poetic work beautifully
describes the union between Shiva and Parvati, his wife. Today's
prudent society may find it overlty sexual, but in Kalidasa's times, it
was appreciated by kings and rulers of many parts of India.
Today, boys and girls in India have no
ways to be sexually informed except through peer groups and x-rated
media and films. Such half knowledge is only contributing to
Sexual disorders. Even the correct preventive measures about AIDS and sexually
transmitted diseases are not known to a common Indian. No wonder that
the number of HIV positive cases are on a rise in India.
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