India's Culture of Kink

The whisper network of Indian kink groups might seem intimidating. But, dig a little deeper and you'll find communities that are working to create safe spaces and inspire dialogues.

- By Saumyaa Vohra

David Cronenberg's Crash, based on the book by English author JG Ballard, was a film that shook audiences in 1996.

When it hit limited screens, it was deemed controversial due to what the censor board called “perverse” content. That “perversity” was that it centred around a group of symphorophiliacs, aroused by car crashes. It was a film about kink; and the world was not ready.

Kink, though often used synonymously with BDSM (Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism), is a broader spectrum of sexuality. It encompasses any nontraditional or unconventional sexual preference or practice—and BDSM is a subset. Running the gamut from shibari, voyeurism, exhibitionism, cuckolding, ageplay, and several others, kink is an expansive universe with many active participants, and even more curious ones.

Films like Un Chien Andalou (1929), Belle de Jour (1967) and The Night Porter (1974) dared to go there while books about BDSM date back centuries. Cities like Berlin, San Francisco, and Amsterdam have had kink clubs since the 60s. Despite its omnipresence and growing appeal worldwide, kink has stayed in the shadows. And, nowhere has it been more clandestine than in India.

WIDENING CURIOSITY

Kink in the country is growing in popularity. The statistics have it—sales increased by 150 per cent year-on-year for BDSM gear in India [Source: besharam.com], India's first-ever kink convention (Kink Con) started in 2023—and even back in 2019, an India Today sex survey found that about 31 per cent of respondents were open to experimenting with BDSM elements. And yet, it is still such a delicate subject that it can only unveil itself in safe spaces.