In India, sex has always been a debatable subject. Whenever we try to talk about sex, our elder says that I live in a country that invented Kamasutra’s ‘It’s against our culture to discuss it before marriage.’ We worship Khujarao Temple’s Shivalingas, but in India, the word sex is a taboo topic. Does the socio-cultural lens attempt to investigate why sex in India is still a taboo subject? Yes, our culture does play a major role. With our faith and sacred scriptures, we Indians are strongly rooted. For example, it builds our attitude towards desires such as religion, marriage, and sexuality. Within the domain of marriage, sexual relations are only valid. On the other the Chattisgarh tribe, the Muria tribe celebrates Ghotul each year a festival where local teenagers learn all about songs, dances, folklore, and sex. The girls drink natural liquor as soon as night falls, which they believe helps prevent pregnancy, then go off to mixed-gender dormitories where they hope they can stop pregnancy.

Is it shocking that we Indians call ourselves modern, but sex, pornography, divorce, and affairs are considered to be taboo? How do you expect a couple to open up about their issues if anything is not right? Physical intimacy is also important, as much emotional intimacy is required.

some candid confession:

1. “Sex before marriage should be practiced, it is an important part of one’s being. It helps explore oneself and also understand what they like and not. Religion as such does not affect any sexual relationship but the people who yell the name of religion do so by trying to constrict one’s growth sexually and make them obey a certain set of rules made by them”
2. “In my opinion, Sex before marriage is completely okay. Sex is one person’s choice. To do before marriage or after is their own decision. As a woman, it is expected of me to keep my virginity intact till my marriage, because as per society norms my family’s dignity, their reputation lies in my hymen and not in the values. And I feel it is high time that we break that norm and normalize sex before marriage because it is important to find dignity in one’s value and not in a girl’s vagina. Sex doesn’t decide my character but my ethics, my morals do. Ever since we were kids sex has been seen as a taboo, the irony being here that India is 2nd most populated country. When it comes to discussing sex with our parents, it is a very awkward conversation, neither we know how to approach them nor they know how to answer us. This bridge is due to the generation gap between our parents and us. They have grown up with the mindsets of what their parents taught them. The main reason why we can’t have an open sexual conversation with our parents is because of this mindset were indulging in a sexual relationship before marriage is considered a disgrace to the family. But their mindset towards it doesn’t influence my decision or my opinion towards sex before marriage if anything it makes it difficult for me to have a conversation about it with them”
3. “I think when to have sex is dependent upon a person not on if they are married or not. Because just like to choose your partner we need that emotional compatibility with him, we need to know physical compatibility too. So to have sex with your partner is important. And as such religion doesn’t influence sexual relationship but the backward mentality of people who think sex is just a thing to create babies influences it” 
4.  “See before marriage isnt a big deal for me. Its about personal choice. If someone wants to save oneself, its their choice. However, expecting that our partner never had set before marriage is not what I would like. If you save yourself or not is your choice, but he or she sure has his or her own choice. So basically what I mean to say is live and let live no one should give a darn about what someone does for their pleasure. Its about their liking, and everyone should respect that” We all have sexual desires, but this fact cannot be accepted by our families.

 “Most women feel even though their parents accept that their children are dating someone, they don’t want to know about it or acknowledge the physical aspects of the affairs. Besides, a no-strings-attached or need-based relationship is not something most parents are comfortable with. Talking about sex before marriage remains a taboo,” says Kinjal Pandya, a relationship counselor. The truth hurts because men are not unfairly judged for this. It is women who need to believe that the concept of sex before marriage is validated by society.

expert speak

In urban and upper middle class families in metro cities, implicitly, most parents do realise their children have physical needs, but it is seldom acknowledged. It is like an elephant in the room that nobody wishes to address. A majority of Indian families are not like the one shown in Piku. Yes, families are becoming liberal; they are promoting education of the girl child and becoming tolerant towards relationships, but not everyone openly discusses intimate details.

– Neha Shah, psychologist