Tribal Folk Tales and Ghotuls as Unheard Voices of Sex Education

We live in a country where people are ashamed to talk about sex or even spell the word in public. We often associate all forms of physical intimacy with sex. We are curious about sexual organs and the act of sex, but, more often than not, fail to have pleasurable and safe sex. We struggle to understand and honour our sexual orientation. We lead our lives carrying the traumas of sexual abuse, unsure about the ownership of our body, and we pass on our guilt through generations. We lack uninhibited knowledge of our body, of us!

Diverse narratives and people from different walks of life continue to raise these issues, and they ask for comprehensive and compulsory sexual education as a solution. But there is a strong counterargument from many sides, rooted in cultural and moral sensitivity, discouraging the government from establishing a nationwide policy. Those whose cultural integrity opposes the right of children and adults to have sex education should be reviewed. The scriptures they read, the shrines they visit, the gods they pray to, the sculptures they appreciate, and the folklore they enjoy are texts of sexual intimacy and education.