[1]When sexologist Dr Narayana Reddy received his first copy of the Kama Sutra as a wedding gift, he did not bothered to read it assuming that it would be nothing but a voyeuristic collection of different sexual positions.
However, when he did read it after some research, he realised that the Kama Sutra was not about sexuality, but about sensuality.
It was also a window into a time when there was no “moral policing”, when homosexuality was not considered an illness, women were not subjugated or molested on the streets, and men regarded their wives' sexual satisfaction as top priority.
Dr Reddy has translated the Kama Sutra into Tamil and has even added his own inputs, sourced from over three decades of clinical experience.
“There are no books to instruct one in love-making as scientifically and poetically as sage Vatsayana has done,” he says.
He had procured two different versions of the Sanskrit text from Varanasi and Maharashtra. “I painstakingly translated the most difficult parts into my mother tongue, Telugu so that I could understand it better before translating it in Tamil.
While every chapter of the Kama Sutra emphasises on the sexual satisfaction of the woman, the sage has also added chapters on how to seduce your neighbour's wife and a courtesan - along with a disclaimer warning of the consequences.
He was also very clear that anybody following his manual should adapt his teachings to suit the desha-kala-paristhithi - the country, the time and the circumstance,” he laughs. “Vatsayana has explained homosexual love and even bestiality in a non-judgmental manner,” he adds.
Anisha.francis@deccanmail.com
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