Specials

Discreet packaging ensured: India's adult products find the sweet spot online

Gone are the days when adult products in this category were vulgar or gawky.

Parents, principals and politicians: Let’s talk about sex (ed)

A volunteer* led a classroom lesson on the topic of sex with girls at a private school. After she finished, she opened the floor to questions. Many students raised their hands and asked about the abortion procedures they had each recently undergone. The girls had undertaken the medical procedures without parental consent and had queries.

Sex, sports and celibacy: Does doing the nasty really do an athlete in?

The belief that ‘fooling around’ before a sports event can kill an athlete’s chances of winning has been around for centuries

'Itni besharmi nahi dekhi jati': Policing desire in a Mumbai public park

Mumbai boasts of famous lover haunts like Marine Drive, Bandra Bandstand, Nariman Point, Juhu Chowpatty beach and Versova's Rocky beach. Even though you'll see police patrolling these areas, they rarely trouble the oblivious lovers (apparently, hotels are the new Mumbai police specialty). But public parks, patrolled by private security guards, are another matter.

The big screen effect: How Bollywood’s influencing love, sex and relationships

One of the major mainstays of cinema around the world, and probably even more so in Bollywood, is romance. The idea of love, romance and pursuit, the idea of finding the man or woman of your dreams are a standard feature of Indian cinema.