Sex is ubiquitous. Even if parents or teachers in India do not directly deliberate over the issue with students in a “talk” or disclose it via our curriculum, it will always somehow reach students through the lyrics of our favorite song, hide in the subsections of our biology textbooks and even whisper through the gossips of a friend. So, why are Indians so apprehensive when confronting such an imminent topic such as this?

It is a familiar fact that India, as a realm, was hardly dithering or reticent about openly exhibiting sexuality – it was seen in the carvings of the temples. There were nudity and sexual depictions surrounding old communities as renditions of the great oeuvre of love India had created: the Kama Sutra. Many women were delineated in the forms of caves and story writing, archived as exquisite, au naturel women. India never foisted a strict outlook on sex because from its emergence, Hinduism was a faith that adhered to a moral code that propagated the notion that sex is a divine act that allows for procreation or liberation of a man’s eternal duties. Although Hinduism did differentiate and designate that there are appropriate practices, it also mentioned, clearly, there are also ungodly, sinful practices that were selfish and coercive in nature and not part of the faith.

Despite India being so well-rooted in practices that spoke of enlightened views, it is at present a nation that is conservative regarding discussion of sex. This sentiment has come to a point where we may be harming the health of future generations. So, what truly changed for India? While many may point to the Mughal Muslim rule, it was not a quintessential epoch in which rulers were concerned in subjugating Indians as a whole. The Mughals were interested in, primarily, the territory and wealth of the country at hand, leaving many Indians to practice their culture relatively freely. Rather, the plot began transfiguring for India when the British rule set foot in Indian soil. Colonial Britain was extremely restrained and conventional in its outlook of open sexual practices and nudity in general. This was a time when Britain felt disgusted at how Indians held a disposition that was unorthodox. The British eventually enforced their Victorian values on the Indians. They thought the Indians had backward values, poor homes and mentalities that were of low character. Unfortunately, Indians changed and, ultimately, adopted the Western culture of the British Empire and were quick to leave Indian values that opposed promiscuity but encouraged natural desires. Many people in India are not fully aware of this history and believe opposing sex education speakings of traditional “Indian values and culture” resists progressive change. It is not the knowledge of sex that will cause adolescents to make uninformed choices but rather the misinformation that communities in India, particularly politicians, continue to give.

Often times, we, as a society, fail to understand sex education is not about promoting the notion children should be actively having sex. Rather, sex education creates a justifiable awareness and touches on topics that, often times, parents may not be able to easily discuss with their children. Sex education is focused on the notion there are evident biological, physiological, emotional and social implications the practice has that must be taught to teenagers. The actual education does not promote the idea of having sex at an early age, and contrary to popular belief in India, it is not an education of how sex is performed. Consent, safe and unsafe practices and adolescent biological changes are all imperative issues that must be raised beginning in the classroom in order to avoid a rapid tsunami of cultural taboo and misinformation. Denying children the correct, scientific information results in half-baked truths that will perpetuate into adulthood. Currently, India has the highest rate of population growth in the world, one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies, the second highest HIV/AID infection rate and last but not least, skyrocketing rates of sexual abuse occurrences against both men and women. The primary culprit can be attributed to India’s reluctance to educate our youth about the changes their bodies go through, their desires and most importantly, safe sexual practices that speak of a developed country.

The values and culture we instill in our children all starts in the household. The manner in which a child sees his parents behaving with each other is the first draft of relationship morals one learns. By shunning the subject of sex from teenagers, we are denying them the right to protect themselves. There should be a continuous emphasis on sex as a natural urge, and consent between both individuals is paramount and much necessary.

India, it's time to open arms to the truth. Educate our youth. Empower the young to feel comfortable in their bodies and be inquisitive about their growth. Implement programs that speak to institutions all around about the ridiculous figure of 2.5 million people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (not to even mention any STD/STI's) and finally, inform. As a developing nation and democracy, it is our job to remain avant-garde in our education and ensure every child has proper access to information about sexuality, safe practices, consent and physiological changes. It will inevitably take time. However, we've come far, and we can go further. We are in need for a dire change.