Let’s talk about porn, and sex education
They often say that an author’s first book is almost autobiographical. In debutant Aditya Gautam’s case, it surely is. Well, if that’s not much of a revelation Gautam’s book talks about Internet porn and what it does to you. Titled Pornistan, it delves into some serious questions about how consuming pornographic content can affect one’s life and relationships. And the author confesses that consuming porn had impacted him and also his friends, who grew up with him, greatly. He, therefore, felt the need to address this issue. Gautam says, “‘I wish I had this book when I was younger’ was honestly the thought [that I had] while writing this book. I wish, I could have had this resource and understood more about sexuality and porn.” “Unfortunately in India,” he says, “With the lack of proper sex education, porn is the first and often the only source of sex education for teenagers, and that is the harmful effect it has. Kids get mixed-up about intimacy in real-life... It changes how boys view girls. There is aggression, subjugation, none of which help them when they are really trying to build a relationship.”
Gautam says that resources like his book and others should be made available to teenagers so that they understand that as long as they are looking at it only as enjoyment and not education or addiction, it’s fine.
Interestingly, the book’s Kindle version in India has been banned and almost no social media platforms have allowed the book to be publicised because it has the word ‘porn’ in the title. Even booksellers in smaller towns have asked the publisher to send in envelopes so that they can put the book in it while selling.
“People are judging the book by its cover and possibly thinking that it’s risky text. It is taking me a while to explain that the book, in fact, deals with the science and biology of the effects of Indian porn. I would like to clarify that I am not anti-porn, but I feel that youngsters must make an informed choice while opting to watch easy-access porn,” says Gautam.
The book addresses many key questions around pornography such as ‘Can Internet porn enhance or ruin the intimacy in a relationship?’ ‘How is pornography impacting the youth of India?’ ‘The age at which kids are watching hardcore porn keeps decreasing, what should parents do?’ ‘Do women react differently to watching porn than men do?’, etc. The author uses four characters and a lucid, conversational style to address those questions.
To study the impact of porn watching on people across the country, he interviewed psychiatrists in various cities including Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi, among others, and the learnings have been similar throughout. “Teenagers are the worst impacted... But even couples are affected... It is surely a big phenomenon and the time has come to speak about it,” he signs off.
Unfortunately in India with the lack of proper sex education, porn is the first and often the only source of sex education for teenagers... Kids get mixedup about intimacy in reallife... It changes how boys view girls.
ADITYA GAUTAM AUTHOR