Ask the Sexpert

One of the best-read features in the Mumbai Mirror is "Ask the Sexpert," a daily column about sex by the broad-minded 93-year-old sexologist Dr. Mahinder Watsa. He answers readers’ questions in plain language, with a generous dose of humor. As we learn from this affectionate portrait, it's highly unusual to discuss sex or desires openly in India, even though it's the country that gave us the Kama Sutra. In a third of all Indian states, there's no sexual education in schools. We also hear from one of the driving forces behind this ban, a moralistic woman who's offended by sex organs even when they’re in anatomical illustrations. But the focus is on Watsa, who has been writing his columns on sexuality for decades. People trust him for his generally nonjudgmental tone, and he receives a deluge of questions, both live and by email. Through his eyes, we get an intimate impression of the problems people are wrestling with in this changing society.