Beyond the birds and bees talk

Shraddha Solanki

It’s paradoxical that in the land of Kama Sutra, people talk in a hushed tone when it comes to discussing sex. Most schools in India do not offer sex education as part of the curriculum. So, most teenagers are stumbling in the dark while having to deal with sexual issues.

Sex Education, a British Netflix series, which recently came out with its second season, has become very popular with the millennials. The protagonist, Otis, is a 16¬-year-old boy, who along with the rebel of the school Maeve, runs underground sex therapy sessions for his schoolmates. The show touches issues like asexuality, gay-sex, self harm, addiction, sexual assault, vaginismus etc in a way that makes the audience understand them and be emphatic towards them. Shagun Vinayak, MCM DAV College, says, “I love the show. It covered various aspects like homosexuality, bisexuality, STDs and how everybody is different and so are their needs. I had read about these things or had a vague idea, but I was never taught or told about them. I remember when they used to educate us about reproduction, they used to separate the boys and girls.” But it is not just educational institutions that are shying away from talking about sex, parents also aren’t very keen on the subject. Shailender Sodhi, 19, from Delhi Public School, says “I found everything there was to know about it through the internet and from friends. I wasn’t ever officially given ‘the talk’ by my parents.” And the parents, who do, might not divulge all the required information. A student of Army Public School, Ananya, says “My mom had ‘the talk’ with me when I hit my teens. It was just the basics and nothing in detail. I was also strictly advised not to indulge in any of such activities till I am a grown-up. So, everything I know is from the internet and now somewhat from this show.”

Sex can be confusing, disappointing, embarrassing, even emotionally fraught, and not being able to talk about something so natural has major drawbacks. Dr Seema Vinayak, chairperson of Psychology Department, PU, says, “Sex education is extremely important and should be taught like a normal subject. It is not just the youth but even the adults of our country are unaware of many things. Schools should have an expert to hold sessions educating students about sex. Parents also need to attend such sessions so that they are aware of the problems. Suppressing the curiosity in regards to this can lead to many psychological problems like bullying, gender incompatibility etc.”