Try GOLD - Free
Who's afraid of porn and sex?
THE WEEK India
|January 29, 2023
The litfest season is on in full swing and this time there seem to be a lot of young people attending.
Some are attending because they are genuine readers and hope to be writers one day, while others are just (to use the youthspeak of the day) CV-slutting. That is, they are volunteering because they want a certificate or a letter of recco from the litfest organisers to pad up their curriculum vitae or their LinkedIn bio.
All of these younglings had only one thing to say to me. 'Your books are unreal. Your romance is like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy and the G spot. It doesn't f*^%$ing exist! You and your ilk have ruined my life by setting unrealistic expectations.
Now, taken in the right spirit (I was taking vodka) this was a great conversation-opener. So I waded right in with, 'Okay, if we're talking unrealistic expectations, then what about porn? Isn't that unrealistic?' Things got suddenly and surprisingly serious after that.
This story is from the January 29, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEK India
THE WEEK India
WHERE THE STORM NEVER REALLY PASSES
Guantánamo Bay, once a symbol of the ‘war on terror’, has emerged as a flashpoint in Donald Trump’s immigration battles, exposing deep tensions between America’s security, legality and moral commitments
10 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
Moderation is the key
Most people do not believe me, but I am a moderate man.
3 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
OCEAN THERAPY
The Modi-Putin summit unveils a cooperation strategy that will rewire sea trade routes and expand India's maritime connect to the Arctic
3 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
Indian Army men fighting for the British against the Japanese were also patriots
Readers in India may be misled by the title of Gautam Hazarika's new book, The Forgotten Indian Prisoners of World War II: Surrender, Loyalty, Betrayal and Hell. It is not about the INA prisoners who were put on trial in the Red Fort by the British. This book is about those Indian soldiers who fought the Japanese in Singapore, Malaya and Burma alongside the British, and who had to surrender, were taken prisoner, put to torture and hard labour by the Japanese, refused to join the INA, and faced death or managed to escape. While recounting their stories, Hazarika also gives an insight into the INA movement. Edited excerpts from an interview with the author:
4 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
CHAT WITH NEHRU, QUERY KALAM...
The Prime Ministers' Museum & Library showcases the life and contributions of prime ministers and nation-builders
3 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
The art of shifting gears in investing
“Hope is not a strategy,” Hayes growls in one memorable scene, dismissing a teammate’s starry-eyed optimism.
3 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
Trouble on the tarmac
It is not IndiGo but Indian aviation that has become too big to fail
4 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
SHUX AND BLUE MARBLE
THE 18 DAYS IN SPACE MIGHT HAVE MADE HIM A HOUSEHOLD NAME, BUT GROUP CAPTAIN SHUBHANSHU SHUKLA IS AS GROUNDED AS EVER. AND BEFORE HE SUITS UP FOR HIS NEXT MISSION, THE WEEK'S MAN OF THE YEAR SHARES STORIES FROM HIS LIFE AND SPACE, INCLUDING HOW HE BECAME A 'WATER BENDER'
9 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
The parietal lobe
If the frontal lobe is where we decide what to do, the parietal lobe is where we understand where we are. It is the brain's internal GPS, the quiet navigator that lets you put your hand exactly where your teacup is, find the edge of a staircase without staring at it, or scratch the correct side of your head when it itches. When it works well, we move through life gracefully. When it falters, life becomes slapstick comedy.
2 mins
December 21, 2025
THE WEEK India
Area of the globe? Pie is cubed
Floating in his private pool, China's helmsman Mao Zedong shared his strategic vision with visiting Soviet strongman Nikita Khrushchev in 1958: \"You look after Europe, and leave Asia to us.\" Obviously, he expected the US to withdraw into its prewar Monroe world of the Americas, thus making the world tripolar.
2 mins
December 21, 2025
Translate
Change font size