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Uncorking myths on Indian Erotica
India Blooms News Service
Kolkata, Jan 18 (IBNS) Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival , a 3-day celebration of literature and arts, unraveled myths on Erotica in Indian writing here.
The panel discussion “Sex and the City” was an intriguing session discussing Erotica with a panel including writers Ruchir Joshi, Sonia Jabbar, Anita Roy, Rimi B Chatterjee.
Now-a-days, people have been reawakened to a world they know, but don’t discuss. Any debate or discussion about the erotic in Indian context is always in relation to history and quite likely a taboo.
Author Ruchir Joshi raised the question, “Is the sensibility of erotica different in India than abroad? “and then adds, “It’s not. It’s just that it’s not discussed.”
India is a land of variety where erotica has been present through the ages. Evidence of erotica in plastic arts, temple architecture or literature is in context to the past. Predominant examples of Indian erotica include the Khajuraho sculptures (9-12 Century BC); texts like the Kamasutra (2nd Century BC); Prakrit love poems (2 Century AD) and Sangam Tamil poetry (1 BC-3 Century AD).
Hindu iconography includes religious symbols and deities having erotic significance such as the phallus or buxom, bare-breasted fertility goddesses date back to pre historic times.
The cult of ecstasy as propounded by Tantra (2nd century BC) tantric art, tantric sex and kundilini yoga are said to awaken the primal instincts to a subliminal context, but they too began way back in time. Indian performing arts are recalled to have erotic and sensual contents that began long ago. Historians or indeed sexologists often talk about the erotic in Indian classical dancing, music, poetry in the context of how they flourished and thrived in the past. The discussion is an attempt to bring the past in context of the present global setup.
“There is a strange difference between grihasta (family life) and the outside world. It’s a part of our tradition to speak in metaphors and in certain circles when it comes to erotica. The higher you rise the lower you go in knowledge,” said Rimi B Chatterjee.
The panel hoped that someday India will grow up in the real sense of the term and call spade a spade or rather sex as sex.
Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2010 is an initiative by Oxford Bookstores with eleven events over 3 days with 40 authors coming from India and overseas to celebrate the word. |
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