CHANGE IN CULTURAL PERCEPTION RELATED TO SEX IN INDIA 2

1.0 History of Sexuality in India 2

2.0 Present Scenario 3

2.1 T.V., Media and Advertising 3
2.2 Film Industry and Celebrities 4
2.3 The celluloid effect on sex 4
2.4 Fears & Obstacles in Rape Cases 5
2.5 Sex Education 7
2.6 Society 8

3.0 Desired Scenario 9

4.0 What can be done? 10

4.1 The Legend of Kamakhya 10

5.0 Why we need Sex Education? 11

5.1 The problem 12

6.0 Moral and Social Education 13

7.0 Initiate campaigns like Swaraksha 14

8.0 Tell people aboud Ardhnarishvara 17

8.1 Full-fledged man and woman 18
8.2 Purusha and Prakriti 18
8.3 The feminine in society 19

9.0 References 20

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Change in Cultural Perception
Related to Sex in India
1.0 History of Sexuality in India
The origins of the current Indian culture can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilisation,
which was contemporaneous with the ancient Egyptian and Sumerian civilisations, around
2700 BCE. During this period, the first evidence of attitudes towards sex comes from the
ancient texts of Hinduism, Buddhism. These ancient texts, the Rig Veda among few others,
reveal moral perspectives on sexuality, marriage and fertility prayers. The epics of ancient
India, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which may have been first composed as early as 500
BCE, had a huge effect on the culture of Asia, influencing later Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan
culture and South East Asian culture. These texts support the view that in ancient India, sex
was considered a mutual duty between a married couple, where husband and wife pleasured
each other equally, but where sex was considered a private affair, at least by followers of the
aforementioned Indian religions. It seems that polygamy was allowed during ancient times. In
practice, this seems to have only been practiced by rulers, with common people maintaining a
monogamous marriage. It is common in many cultures for a ruling class to practice both
polyandry and polygyny as a way of preserving dynastic succession.

Nudity in art was considered acceptable in southern India, as shown by the paintings at Ajanta
and the sculptures of the time. It is likely that as in most countries with tropical climates,
Indians from some regions did not need to wear clothes, and other than for fashion, there was
no practical need to cover the upper half of the body. This is supported by historical evidence,
which shows that men in many parts of ancient India mostly dressed only the lower half of
their bodies with clothes and upper part of body was covered by gold and precious stones,
jewellery, while women used to wear traditional sarees made of silk and expensive clothes as a
symbol of their wealth.

As Indian civilisation further developed and the writing of the Upanishads around 500 BCE, it
was somewhere between the 1st and 6th centuries that the Kama Sutra, originally known as
Vatsyayana Kamasutram ('Vatsyayana's Aphorisms on Love'), was written. This philosophical
work on kama shastra, or 'science of love', was intended as both an exploration of human
desire, including infidelity, and a technical guide to pleasing a sexual partner within a marriage.
This is not the only example of such a work in ancient India, but is the most widely known in

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modern times. It is probably during this period that the text spread to ancient China, along
with Buddhist scriptures, where Chinese versions were written.

It is also during 10th century to 12th century that some of India's most famous ancient works
of art were produced, often freely depicting romantic themes and situations. Examples of this
include the depiction of Apsaras, roughly equivalent to nymphs or sirens in European and
Arabic mythology, on some ancient temples. The best and most famous example of this can be
seen at the Khajuraho complex in central India built around 9th to 12th century.

2.0 Present Scenario

2.1 T.V., Media and Advertising
The content of media reflects the pattern of value in any society. The prevailing attitude of the
society gets revealed through the way subjects dealing with women are treated by the media
(Arpita Sharma, 2012). Media can act as both a perpetrator and as a protagonist – it can either
reinforce the gender based discrimination by portraying stereotypical sensational images of
women or it can provide balanced coverage that empowers women while exposing acts of
gender bias (Amrita Ray and Mr. Ritwajit Das). Recognizing the role of media in women
empowerment, the National commission for women and other organizations are striving hard
to improve the status of Indian women different forms of communication for the mass. This
paper would try to prove the ways women are portrayed in media may empower women in
society but may also promote them as sexual objects, submissive to male dominance and
wrapped with stereotyped roles, which has detrimental impact on the self esteem and body
image of young girls.

A trend that is developing in entertainment media today is the objectification of women in

society. Specifically in movies, music videos, music, and television, there is strong focus on
women as sexual objects rather than women. This is detrimental to society because the media
is creating social stereotypes for both men and women that can result in unhealthy social and
physical habits. The issue is especially prevalent because the more the media uses sexual
content regarding women, the more viewers seem to buy into them. Thus, the media is able to
shape the culture & sense of dating, romance, sex, and what is ideal within society. The sexual
attitudes of society are shaped and that has effects that can affect all demographics amongst
society. This media action is allowed to proceed because sex sells and this objectification of
women is what society has proven they want to see in entertainment media.

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My research question is how is society being affected by the media’s objectification of women?
Advertising and media images that encourage girls to focus on looks and sexuality are harmful
to their emotional and physical health, a new report by the American Psychological Association
says, Women develop the ideal of seeing their bodies as not their personal self, but as sexual
objects. That unhealthy train of thought can develop into recurring problems such as eating
disorders, low self-esteem, and depression. These problems are directly linked to sexualized
images in advertising and media entertainment

2.2 Film Industry and Celebrities

The Hindi film industry, in fact, has gained notoriety for its extremely regressive portrayal of
women on screen, with leading actresses of the day being reduced to mere props or objects of
titillation pandering to the male gaze. And data now confirms it.

That Bollywood films are sexist is hardly a secret. But an analysis of over 4,000 Hindi films by
IBM and two Delhi-based institutions throws light on how bad the portrayal of women on
screen actually is.

Different features like occupation, introduction of cast in text, associated actions and
descriptions are captured to show the pervasiveness of gender bias and stereotype in movies,
the study revealed.

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, and realising the dream of
finding The One are a standard feature of Indian cinema. Be it a thriller, a murder mystery or
even horror, boy must meet girl in popular cinema.

2.3 The celluloid effect on sex

It’s not just relationships, celluloid content is also influencing how sex is practiced, says a
prominent psychologist.

Dr. Harish Shetty, a practicing psychologist in Mumbai, says the amount of sensuous content all
around us has affected boys and girls at a young age leading to a complex situation. The idea of
love is undergoing a transformation today and one of the departures from the past is that sex
is not as closely connected to love. The philosophy of true love waits is no longer in vogue. The
sanctity of love is lost and the idea of one love forever and hand holding has gone away. The
impermanency of everything has been accepted, he says. Gone are the days of flowers, Indian
cinema is becoming more direct.
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Movies need to be sensitive and sensible about sex. In most movies, if a girl has pre-marital
sex, it is suggested that something bad will happen to her. Although Bollywood's attitude
towards sex may have undergone some changes, it remains awkwardly coy and that can be
frustrating for its younger audiences. It's not just relationships, celluloid content shown by
bollywood stars in movies is also influencing how sex is practiced, says a prominent
psychologist, Dr. Harish Shetty.

We’ve known for a very long time that the emotional content of films and television programs
can affect your psychological health. It can do this by directly affecting your mood, and your
mood can then affect many aspects of your thinking and behaviour. If the TV program
generates negative mood experiences (e.g. anxiety, sadness, anger, disgust), then these
experiences will affect how you interpret events in your own life, what types of memories you
recall, and how much you will worry about events in your own life.

There are a lot of bad things that happen in the world, and it is probably right that people
should know about these things through their reporting in news bulletins. These ‘bad things’
include crime, famine, war, violence, political unrest, and injustice, to name but a few. But
there is also an increasing tendency for news broadcasters to ‘emotionalize’ their news and to
do so by emphasizing any potential negative outcomes of a story no matter how low the risks
of those negative outcomes might be. This is basically ‘scaremongering’ at every available
opportunity in order to sensationalize and emotionalize the impact of a news story. Because
we now have 24-hour news coverage, gone are the days when a correspondent or journalist’s
role was simply to impartially describe what was happening in the world – because of satellite
TV we have an almost immediate visual record of what is happening throughout the world. So
the journalist’s job then becomes one of ‘evaluating’ the news story and it is only a small step
from ‘evaluating’ a story to ‘sensationalizing’ it.

2.4 Fears & Obstacles in Rape Cases

 One of the biggest factors discouraging women in India from seeking justice after a sexual
assault is their fear or deal they may face at the police station, analysts say.
 Lawyers say - and senior police officials agree - that police are generally highly insensitive to
female victims of violence.
 “The entire police force is not gender insensitive, but training and sensitization is definitely
needed,” a senior Delhi police official, who did not want to be named, told Trust Law.
 One of the biggest obstacles to winning justice for rape victims is the length of the trials,
legal experts say. In an average case, it can take a court five to 10 years to reach judgment.

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 The so-called “Two finger test” — an archaic practice, banned in many countries, which
involves a doctor inserting fingers into a victim’s vagina to determine if she is “habituated
to sex” — is widely used in India, despite an order by the Director General of Health
Services in 2011 to discontinue it.
 The test is irrelevant and unscientific, say some lawyers, adding that it amounts to the “re-
rape” of the victim. The police should prioritize the protection of women and girls who have
been victims of violence, so they could be fully supported at their most vulnerable time.
And we wanted women and girls to be safe and not fear being victimized again.
 Training programmes should be held for police officers and lawyers in India, on how they
can more appropriately and effectively deal with these cases and secure justice for victims.
The training programme has now been successfully delivered in the four states to senior
police trainers working across a range of police training academies.
 They (JUSTICE FOR HER) have changed the way police officers are trained about gender
violence – with more focus on empathy, the victim and moral principles. This has helped to
challenge police strategies – many of which now prioritize gender violence. And has created
an empowered police force who have the ability to perform their duties more effectively –
without prejudice and discrimination.
 Part of the project also included senior Indian police officers coming to the UK to see how
British police officers tackle gender violence. As a result, the Madhya Pradesh state police
force has committed to open 51 one-stop victim support centres for women – having seen
a similar model when in the UK.

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2.5 Sex Education

Sex education continues to be elusive in India. According to the National Family Health Survey
III, Half of India’s women marry before the age of 18 and about 18 percent are married even
before the age of 15. Even if they want to, these young girls and their young inexperienced
husbands cannot always prevent pregnancies. 82% children do not receive any sort of guidance
about sex from their parents.

More than 50% of children face one or more forms of sexual abuse, said by the ministry of
women and child development. They have neither the knowledge nor the means to protest or
handle it adequately.

Friends refrain from talking about sex and sexuality with each other. There is a feeling of
hesitation as well as shyness within themselves. People think about what others will feel when
we talk on such topics. No-one feels comfortable talking to each other on such topics. Friends
have a powerful impact on each other. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about sex with friends.
Students hesitate to discuss with teachers about the topics related to sex. There was a survey
conducted where students were not at all comfortable talking to teachers on such topics.
Talking to mentors on such topics helps to develop a better understanding between student,
teacher. Students can comfortably ask some personal questions which can save them from
wrong decisions. But there is so much fear within students that they are not ready to talk to
their mentors openly.

Instead of children having to know about sex and its various aspects from unreliable sources, it
is always better to provide them the right information by the right person. And it can happen
only if parents and teachers openly talk about sex to their children.

The issue of imparting sex education on a regular basis to school-going children in India has
always been a controversial subject. There is a lot of misconception surrounding sex education
in schools. A lot of parents and even politicians have opposed the idea of teaching teenagers
about safe sex methods and sexuality in general. This kind of medieval mindset is harming our
children. Sex education helps inculcate essential information about conception, contraception
and sexually transmitted diseases among the teenagers. WHO further states that the age group
of 12 to 19 years counts for some 34 per cent of the HIV-infected persons in the world.

Because of the taboo associated with sex education, several states, including Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Goa, had earlier banned
a course on adolescent education programme as suggested by the Ministry of Human Resource
Development (MHRD).

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A cross sectional study was conducted to find out the knowledge and attitudes of school
teachers regarding sex education. Information was collected from 476 senior secondary school
teachers belonging both to the government and public schools, selected randomly in National
Capital Territory of Delhi using pre-tested close ended questionnaires. A majority of school
teachers (73%) were in favor of imparting sex education to school children. Regarding contents
of sex education, 90% agreed to the inclusion of reproductive anatomy, physiology including
menstruation and birth control measures like condoms and oral pills. However, a majority of
school teachers did not want sex education to include topics like abortion, premarital sex and
masturbation etc. Fourteen years of age was considered to be the most appropriate for
imparting sex education by 28.6% of school teachers. School teachers and doctors were
considered by 69.4% and 63.6% of the respondents respectively to be the most appropriate
persons for providing sex education.

2.6 Society
The main industry for entertainment in India is Bollywood industry and the industry itself
objectifies women and viewers support it very heartily.

Bollywood objectifies its women on a much larger scale than men. But this debate on
objectification of women is not new even in my own head. Objectification is known to be those
portrayals of women in ways and contexts which suggest that women are objects to be looked
at, ogled, even touched, or used without any regard to their personality or dignity.

The Indian film industry is known for its glitz and glamour and ‘item songs', where 'shiela ki
jawani', 'munni banaam hui', 'chikni chameli' and 'choli ke peeche kya hai' become instant hits
with the audiences. Indeed the more indecent and vulgar the song is the more it will stand out
and give much more recognition and popularity to the actress than her acting or films. Katrina
kaif is the new ‘chameli' in town while Kareena is more often referred to as the ‘chammak
challo' of the tinsel villa.

But item songs, in particular, should not be singled out as the symbol of this practice. Devoid of
opportunities to portray lovemaking or smoking or so many other things on screen, item-songs
are Bollywood's workaround solution for attracting eyeballs from men. The creativity is getting
hampered by the never ending bans by the sensor board, making the film makers desperate to
sell their product. Isn't Bollywood showcasing the reality? Hasn't the Indian society objectified
its women since time immemorial? Have we forgotten the time in Mahabharata when
Yudhisthira succumbed to the weakness of gambling and sacrificed his own wife's dignity for a
pack full of cards? Also in the epic Ramayana when the revolted Sita was asked to leave her
house? Why doesn't Hollywood showcase its woman merely as an object of pleasure? Because

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it portrays what the society feels, where a superhero movie sells more than a sex scene and
content matters more than the skin show.

The recent case of the brutal rape of a medical student in Delhi has highlighted strong
objections from all over India. Filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap tweeted "We need to stop
objectifying our women in what we call our second religion... Our films.” Actor Aditi Rao Hydari
in an interview said: “I wish our movies wouldn't objectify women. There's so much more to
being a woman.” This is certainly true that there is a desperate need of women-centric movies
in Indian cinema with strong and powerful characters. While there have been movies
like 'Hunterwaali and Mother India' where the woman triumphs, movies like 'Kahani',
'Fashion' and 'No one killed Jessica' also portrayed the power of a woman. But off late, who
watched 'Hazaar Chauraasi Ki Maa'? But is banning the item songs or the poor portrayal of
woman in the industry, the only solution to elevate the demeaning status of women in our
society? If we wanted to ban everything offensive or that might lead to a criminal act, we
would have to ban murder scenes and plots that involve murder.

The efforts have to be from all four corners to stop the co modification of women in our
society. No one is solely to be blame and no one can solely bring about a change. While there is
definitely a need for strong women characters and women centric films where a woman is the
‘hero', what we also need is compulsory education and a change of mindset of everyone who
thinks of them as objects to ogle at whether in film fraternity or out.

3.0 Desired Scenario

Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, is the state of equal ease of access to resources
and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making;
and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of
gender.

Gender equality, equality between men and women, entails the concept that all human beings,
both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without
the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. Gender equality means
that the different behaviour, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued
and favored equally. It does not mean that women and men have to become the same, but
that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born
male or female. Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to
their respective needs. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but
which is considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities.

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4.0 What can be done?
4.1 The Legend of Kamakhya
Contrary to the shaming treatment that menstruation gets elsewhere in India, at the Kamakhya
Temple, it is revered as the ability of a woman to conceive.

While a large percentage of people in India continue to remain aloof when it comes to
speaking out loud about menstruation and the issues faced by women, a temple that is well
worn with time celebrates one of the most natural biological processes.

The Kamakhya temple is not just a famous pilgrimage site in Assam, but is also a unique temple
in the country.
Located on the Nilachal hill in the capital city of Guwahati, the deity of the temple, Kamakhya
Devi is revered as the ‘Bleeding Goddess’.’

It is believed that the ‘Garvagriha‘ or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple houses the
mythical womb and vagina of the Hindu goddess Shakti.

Curiously enough, every year during the month of Ashaad (June), the Brahmaputra river near
Kamakhya turns red. It is believed that the goddess ‘menstruates’ during this period.

Considering this to be a woman’s power to give birth, the deity and temple of Kamakhya is a
celebration of this ‘shakti’ within every woman.

The story of origin is behind the temple quite interesting. It revolves around the Hindu gods
Shiva and Sati.

Legend has it that Sati fought with her husband to be part of the grand yajna that her father
was offering to appease the gods—of which both were purposefully not invited to. Paying no
heed to her husband’s advice, Sati headed to the yajna nevertheless, only to be insulted by her
father.

The last straw was when he spoke ill of Shiva as well. Unable to bear the insult, Sati leapt into
the very sacrificial fire of the yajna.

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When Shiva came to know of what had happened, his anger knew no limits. Carrying his wife’s
burnt corpse, he went on a rampage with his ‘Tandav‘ or the dance of destruction.

While all other gods cowered in fear under Shiva’s rage, it was Vishnu who sent his chakra and
cut the body, in order to calm the aggrieved deity.

It is believed that Sati’s body parts fell in 108 locations across the country, which are today
known as Shakti peeths.

Kamakhya finds its name from the Hindu God of love, Kamadeva. As the story goes, the god
had sought out Shakti’s womb and genitals after having lost virility to a curse.

As a tribute to Shakti and her ability to lend back Kamadeva his potency, the deity of Kamakhya
Devi was installed and continues to be worshipped until today.
In a country that continues its archaic attitude towards menstruation as unholy and gruesome,
it is important for each one of us to know the progressive approach that the Kamakhya temple
displays—of celebrating womanhood.

While there is no image of Shakti in the temple complex, it is Yoni or the female genitalia of the
goddess located in the corner of the cave in the temple that is the object of reverence.

5.0 Why we need Sex Education?

The importance of delivery of sex education in a timely fashion to this significant demographic
is emphasized by current statistics that show that almost one in every fifth person on the globe
is an adolescent.[4] They comprise 18% (1.2 billion) of world's population in 2009, with 88%
living in developing countries. India has the largest adolescent population (243 million with
more than 50% of the adolescent population living in urban areas). These figures indicate the
importance of specifically addressing the healthcare needs of this considerable demographic,
particularly for the developing countries such as India.

The role of society is to create a platform for children to be educated about themselves, both
physically and emotionally; to teach the academic aspects of various subjects; to teach about
their role and responsibility towards one another, their role towards their families, and
towards society, as a whole.

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A young boy or a girl who is just entering teenage, needs to learn all aspects of physiological
and emotional changes that he or she will be going through while growing up. This information
and awareness is absolutely essential for that young individual, in order to ensure that he or
she can make informed choices as one goes through the teen years.

It is due to this woeful lack of information and awareness that children go through traumatic
experiences that range from sexual abuse to emotional and physical abuse, without knowing
the implications of these or what recourse to take and this leads to the victim being
emotionally and sometimes, physically, scarred for life.

Therefore, it’s the responsibility of society to ensure that every boy and girl is provided with
the necessary information and is taught all the preventive and corrective measures to be taken
in case of any eventuality. The problem is whose responsibility is it? Is it the parent’s or the
school’s or the peer group’s or a third party, is where the debate becomes controversial? The
content and methodology of delivery of sex education is still being debated around the world.
And in the cross fire of debate our children stand unaware, confused and very vulnerable. Can
our society afford that?

5.1 The problem

India is a confluence of cultures, religions, languages, food, and lifestyles, where the sheer
diversity spread over a vast geography poses challenges of its own. In the context of the
subject at hand, it must be recognized there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. Given the
sensitivity of the topic, each state or region would need to be handled specific to their value
systems and cultures.
Socially acceptable norms in one region could be a taboo in another. For instance, in some
states of southern India, marriage between certain close relatives is acceptable, while in some
parts of north and central Indian states, the marriages within the same ‘gotra’ (usually of the
same village) is viewed as unacceptable. So how do you design a nationally acceptable
curriculum on sex education?

The content
Sex education is not just about sex and birth control as many would like to believe. In fact it is
possibly the most important education to be imparted to someone entering his or her teens
(the right age to begin is still being debated in different societies). It involves addressing the
potential confusion that is associated with physiological changes that begin to be visible as the
teen years set in and this confusion can have negative consequences.

Sex is an interpersonal activity that involves both the physical and emotional interaction
between two people. If both are not at the similar levels of awareness and acceptance, the
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resulting conflict can be damaging, physically and emotionally. Therefore, sex education has to
address both aspects. The lack of awareness and understanding of the physical and behavioral
aspects of the opposite sex is usually the beginning of conflict between sexes and these needs
to be addressed.

Cases of rape where the perpetrator is a minor, violence between sexes who are minors, teen
and pre-teen pregnancy, incest, etc are all manifestations of lack of social, sexual and moral
education and we as adults are collectively responsible for missing out on the opportunity.

The content for sex education has to be developed to address these areas:
 Information regarding physical and psychological differences between sexes. How boys and
girls are different physically and why they behave differently, at varying ages.
 Age-wise physiological changes as they occur in both sexes. The boys, as much as girls, must
be fully aware and have complete understanding of menstruation in girls, while both sexes
must also understand the changes that boys undergo. Both sexes are usually completely
ignorant regarding the emotional changes in the opposite sex and how to deal with them.
 Recognizing different physical and medical symptoms of change and knowing when it is
abnormal. In cases of abnormality noticed, who to approach and discuss immediately.
 Every aspect of intercourse, conception and birth process must be explained and taught to
both sexes. Too many myths exist regarding these. The education relating to options in
birth control, pregnancy and termination, must be provided to both sexes.

6.0 Moral and Social Education

This is a critical but sensitive aspect of education where the content has to take into account
the regional, cultural and religious sentiment but within the framework of our constitution and
law.

The biggest challenge: Delivery

Before the explosion of information across television, internet and social media, teenagers
relied on peer feedback and cheap publications, on most issues of sex. Parents were reluctant
to do the needful due to social inhibitions, the teachers didn’t have the mandate from parents
and society in general to teach sex education. So teenagers had to perforce rely on half-baked
information and advice from peers.

Today, this problem has got mitigated on account of technology and social media, which can
now be used to place every bit of information, especially the first part of the above mentioned
content. Asking questions can be encouraged with each query being answered using text,
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illustrations, 3D graphics and video from a knowledge bank that would keep growing using
FAQs from users.

The second part pertaining to moral and social education can be delivered in a combination of
online-offline content that need to be created keeping local sensibilities in mind.

The important part to note is that technology can be neutral and standardized, taking away the
variables in delivery that may vary from person to person and region to region. This is the best
time in our history when we can ensure that the next generation is far better informed and is
able to make far better choices than what we had during our time.

Let all stakeholders in society get together and use the best of technology to address this vital
issue, whose time has come.

7.0 Initiate campaigns like Swaraksha

As of May last year, a survey conducted in 26 states by World Vision India revealed that one in
every two children is a victim of child sexual abuse in India. One in every five lives in the fear of
being sexually abused.

Despite these alarming statistics, parents still hesitate to have a dialogue with their kids and
therefore fail to recognise child abuse when it occurs.

In 2014, Kochi-based NGO Swaraksha came into existence to change that.

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An ongoing Swaraksha session. Source: Facebook

Anu Suraj co-founded Swaraksha with her husband. She is also the learning support
coordinator of the NGO.

“Swaraksha is the brainchild of my husband, Suraj Sundararajan. Incidents of child sexual abuse
shook parents’ confidence on safety so much that they felt helpless,” she tells The Better India.
This was when the like-minded team behind Swaraksha decided to change the situation
through education and awareness sessions.

The Swaraksha Charitable Trust began with several awareness sessions using PPTs, stories,
demos, videos, among other mediums. “We also use interactive mediums like puppet shows or
doll plays for kids. We are planning on introducing street plays, dance or mimes through which
we can communicate with the children. There is also a legal professional who explains the case
studies in the form of stories to empower the kids,” says Anu.

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Anu says she faces a challenge when schools are hesitant in having this dialogue with their
students.

Source: Facebook

They want to spread the campaign across Kerala, but there are expenses that need to be
considered. Reaching out to the rural areas has also been a hurdle. So far, they have been
pooling their money to meet the expenses. The team includes working women as well as
mothers, and therefore organising campaigns every day is impossible.

However, despite the challenges, Swaraksha has managed to cover 6,000 students through its
awareness programmes.

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They also conduct separate sessions for parents.

Source: Facebook

“We interact with them on how they can teach personal safety to kids, and also emphasise the
importance of keeping the communication going right from a very young age. To the teachers,
ayahs and other faculty members in schools, we tell them how they can work proactively
towards creating a better environment for students and how parents can be an active
participant in that,” Anu tells TBI.

The Swaraksha team has also created their in-house production Maya, a short film directed by
Deepak Ramachandran, which has done well at a film festival.

8.0 Tell people aboud Ardhnarishvara

Generally Shiva is referred to as the ultimate man, he is the symbolism of ultimate masculinity,
but you will see in the Ardhanarishvara form of Shiva, one half of him is a fully developed
woman. Let me tell you the story of what happened. Shiva was in an ecstatic condition and
because of that, Parvati was drawn to him. After Parvati did many things to woo him and
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sought all kinds of help, they got married. Once they were married, naturally, Shiva wanted to
share whatever was his experience. Parvati said, “This state that you are in within yourself, I
want to experience it too. What should I do? Tell me. I am willing to do any kind of austerity.”
Shiva smiled and said, “There is no need for you to do any great austerity. You just come and
sit on my lap.” Parvati came and with absolutely no resistance towards him, sat on his left lap.
Since she was so willing, since she had placed herself totally in his hands, he just pulled her in
and she became half of him.

You need to understand, if he has to accommodate her in his own body, he has to shed half of
himself. So he shed half of himself and included her. This is the story of Ardhanarishvara. This is
basically trying to manifest that the masculine and the feminine are equally divided within
yourself. And when he included her, he became ecstatic. What is being said is that if the inner
masculine and feminine meet, you are in a perpetual state of ecstasy. If you try to do it on the
outside, it never lasts, and all the troubles that come with that are an ongoing drama.

8.1 Full-fledged man and woman

Essentially, it is not two people longing to meet, it is two dimensions of life longing to meet –
outside as well as inside. If you achieve it inside, the outside will happen one hundred percent
by choice. If you do not achieve it inside, the outside will be a terrible compulsion. This is the
way of life. This is the reality which is being expressed in a beautiful dialectal form – Shiva
included her as a part of himself and became half-woman, half-man.

This is a symbolism to show that if you evolve in your ultimate context, you will be half a man
and half a woman – not a neuter – a full-fledged man and a full-fledged woman. That is when
you are a full-blown human being. You are not skewed development, you are not just
masculine or feminine, you have allowed both these things to grow. Masculine and feminine
does not mean male and female. The “feminine” and “masculine” are certain qualities. Only
when these two qualities happen in balance within, can a human being live a life of fulfillment.

8.2 Purusha and Prakriti

If you look at the story of Ardhanarishvara as a symbolism of creation, then these two
dimensions – Shiva and Parvati or Shiva and Shakti – are known as Purusha and Prakriti. The
word “Purush” is today commonly understood as “man,” but that is not what it means.
Praktriti means “nature” or “creation.” Purush is that which is source of creation. The source of
creation was there, creation happened, and it fit perfectly well into the source of creation.
What is referred to as the Purusha is the cause, the main induction which sets things going.
When the existence was primordial, when it was not in a state of creation, what caused it to

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snap up and suddenly become creation is referred to as Purusha. Whether a human being is
born, or an ant is born, or a cosmos is born, it is happening the same way. In terms of human
understanding, it is referred to as male or masculine.

The whole human population happened because of a single act of a man, because of
copulation, isn’t it? That is not a great act. It could happen in any way. It could happen
irresponsibly, negligently, forcefully, in anger, in hatred – it need not necessarily happen
beautifully. Whichever way you do it, population will come. But what happened in the womb
cannot happen whichever way. It has to happen in a very orderly and beautiful way, otherwise
it will not work. If it goes wrong or happens violently, life will not happen.

So when we look at this basic process that set creation going, that process is just like one act.
That is known as Purusha, but what takes this on and slowly evolves into life is called Prakriti or
nature. That is why nature is represented as feminine.

8.3 The feminine in society

Today, society and even women have misunderstood feminine nature as weakness. Women
are trying to be like men because economics has become the main force in the world.
Everything is back to the law of the jungle – survival of the fittest. Once you do that, the
masculine will dominate. We have chosen the power of gross conquest over the subtleties of
love, compassion and embracing life.

You will see, if you just have masculine, you will have everything but you will have nothing.
Consciously nurturing and celebrating the feminine in a society is very essential. This needs to
happen right from school. Children should go into music, art, philosophy, and literature as
much as they go into science and technology. If this does not happen, there will be no room
for the feminine in the world. If we don’t see how to make both the masculine and feminine
find equal roles to play in our life structure, we will live very incomplete, lopsided lives.

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9.0 References
i). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_sexuality_in_India

ii). https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-sex-assaults-virtual-police-station-
aims-to-calm-fears-of-victims-who-fear-ordeal-they-may-a6739661.html

iii). https://github.com/tvganesh/crime-against-women/blob/master/output/Rape%20.csv

iv). https://in.reuters.com/article/india-delhi-gang-rape-women-safety-polic/analysis-how-
indias-police-and-judiciary-fail-rape-victims-idINDEE90F0AY20130116

v). https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/does-bollywood-objectify-its-
women-8301.html?page=3

vi). https://www.thebetterindia.com/121243/kochi-ngo-swaraksha-parents-child-abuse/

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