Page 17 - Seniorstoday September 2022 Issue

The judge acquitted the artist saying that thousands of these naaga sadhus who go
there was nothing offensive about the around making a spectacle of themselves
painting. In the world of art, the human and these pictures are all over the internet.
body has been a great source of expression. The naaga sadhus know how to pose for
There’s literature and poetry about the photographs, how to show their naked
distinction between the naked and the bodies to young girls, knowing that these
nude. pictures will be published on the Net.
Isn’t it strange that if a normal person
shows his genitals in public, it is offending
and indecent behaviour whereas when a
religious man does that it is fine? People
take pictures of these sadhus for which
the sadhu probably charges money and
everyone is fascinated and not offended.
There was a young sadhu who had a bell
tied with a string around his genitalia and
women who tugged at the bell would be
Khajuraho and Kamasutra are highly acclaimed art works blessed with a male child. Ridiculous as
The lawyer’s allegation was that these this sounds but he made quite a drama
photographs damage the culture and about himself and a huge crowd gathered
tradition of India. To take a broader look around. I have been to two Kumbh and
at our culture much before the world have seen so much of these antics, that it’s
woke to Masters and Johnson, we had our laughable that how people get drawn into
Kamasutra that gets into minor details on it. Indian culture?
enjoying the sexual act. We elevated the
author to the rank of a rishi (sage) and he
is called Rishi Vatsyayana. Talks about
arousal, how to, what to, and everything
you wanted to know about sex. Is this not
a part of our culture? It is estimated that
Kamasutra was written in 400 BC. Since
then, we have been hurting the sentiments
of women. Let’s look at our miniature
paintings of Radha and Krishna, whether
it is the Rajput, Pahadi, or the Rajasthani
School there is a world of sensuality…
within these highly artistic works with
strong undertones of desire and sexual
liberty. This is evident in museums, art
books, sculptures. It seems that female
nudity is more acceptable than male
nudity. Naaga sadhus know how to pose for photographs, how to
Let us go to the Kumbh Mela, there are show their naked bodies

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #39 | SEPTEMBER 2022 17