consent

It’s not ‘just’ play!
An illustration of handcuffs in dull shades.
It’s not ‘just’ play!

Play is not only about cocks, balls, vaginas, paddles, or anything that happens between two consenting adults in the bedroom. It’s also about what goes on in a masochist’s mind before they submit to a cane, or a whip, and before they orgasm from the pain.

By Asmi
December 1, 2021
It’s not ‘just’ play!
Issue In Focus: Sexual Rights
An abstract drawing of a face, intertwined with different textures, animals like a bird and a snake, and trees.
Issue In Focus: Sexual Rights

It may be useful to visualize sexual rights as a large tree with deep roots and a vast canopy of…
By Radhika Chandiramani
December 1, 2013
Issue In Focus: Sexual Rights
Issue in Focus: My right to say ‘yes’ and my right to say ‘no’
A black-and-white silhouette of a girl standing in a deserted wasteland
Issue in Focus: My right to say ‘yes’ and my right to say ‘no’

Women in our societies largely do not have any acquaintance with the word ‘consent’, but they are very familiar with…
By Sumati Panikkar
February 1, 2014
Issue in Focus: My right to say ‘yes’ and my right to say ‘no’
Issue In Focus: Challenging Neo-liberal ‘Equality’ in Consent
A brown woman in a blue top standing amongst a crowd raises a placard that reads in black on a white background, "Keep sex sexy - consent."
Issue In Focus: Challenging Neo-liberal ‘Equality’ in Consent

In an ideal world, this article would read at Tweet-length: “Enthusiastic sexual consent is sexy, and necessary for negotiating unequal…
By Kristin Francoeur
November 1, 2015
Issue In Focus: Challenging Neo-liberal ‘Equality’ in Consent
Interview: Vidya Reddy
A photo of a few children dressed in matching red shirts that read 'enough is enough' and holding up placards with various slogans
Interview: Vidya Reddy

On Jan 1, 2014 when I met Vidya Reddy, one of TULIR’s co-founders, for an interview on consent among teenagers…
By Shweta Krishnan
February 1, 2014
Interview: Vidya Reddy
Interview: Sharanya Manivannan
A photograph of Sharanya Manivannan
Interview: Sharanya Manivannan

If you are true to yourself, and attuned to your emotions and needs, you’ll invariably find that even a core belief (such as: not believing in the institution of marriage) is complicated by what the lived experience of that means (not only discriminatory experiences, but also intimate ones).
By Shikha Aleya
February 1, 2021
Interview: Sharanya Manivannan
Interview: Radhika Chandiramani on What Self-Care and Sexuality Have to Do With Each Other
A photograph of Radhika Chandiramani, a clinical psychologist, writer and editor, and founder of TARSHI.
Interview: Radhika Chandiramani on What Self-Care and Sexuality Have to Do With Each Other

Sexuality and self-care are related at many levels, right from the level of knowing what you want and what you don’t, how you feel about yourself, how you are able to communicate your desires and how you are able to enjoy your experiences.
By Anjora Sarangi
January 4, 2021
Interview: Radhika Chandiramani on What Self-Care and Sexuality Have to Do With Each Other
Interview: Madhu Mehra – Part 1
picture of lawyer and activist madhu mehra. she wears a pink saree with a beige blouse and sits at a desk before a microphone
Interview: Madhu Mehra – Part 1

In this issue of In Plainspeak, we interview Madhu Mehra, lawyer and feminist activist. She is a founding member and the Executive Director of Partners for Law in Development (PLD), a legal resource group on women’s rights.

By Shikha Aleya
July 2, 2018
Interview: Madhu Mehra – Part 1
Interview: Food and Sexuality Via Email with Radhika Chandiramani
A close up photo of a bunch of clams
Interview: Food and Sexuality Via Email with Radhika Chandiramani

Radhika Chandiramani founded TARSHI in 1996. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship for Leadership Development and the Soros…
By TARSHI Team
October 15, 2015
Interview: Food and Sexuality Via Email with Radhika Chandiramani
Interview –  A reflective self-questioning
A graphic design image of phases of the moon in a semi-circular form against a black backdrop dotted with white specks as stars.
Interview –  A reflective self-questioning

It is true though that ageing has brought home realities about my body that I ignored when I was younger. It has made me mindful of what I value, and what I choose to let go of, without too much of thought or unnecessary angst.
By Shikha Aleya
March 1, 2021
Interview –  A reflective self-questioning
Interview – Srinidhi Raghavan
A photograph of disability rights activist Srinidhi Raghavan. She is wearing a blue top with a white pattern, black-rimmed spectacles, and a yellow hair-band.
Interview – Srinidhi Raghavan

Disabled people might not have many spaces where they can speak openly about their sexual experiences or even sexual curiosity. There is a heavy monitoring of disabled young people especially, and this can mean that exploration, which is often how many of us discover sexuality, can be limited. Moreover, since the experiences of disabled people are not seen in popular media such as films, we can (and probably do) imagine we will have the same or similar experiences as non-disabled people  – which is often not possible.
By Shikha Aleya
August 2, 2021
Interview – Srinidhi Raghavan
Interview – Raj Mariwala
A photograph of MHI director Raj Mariwala; she is playing with a grey-brown dog, squatting in grass.
Interview – Raj Mariwala

Self-care is influenced by the environment we inhabit, the way we relate to others, the way we negotiate with other living beings or structures. Self-care is also interlinked with other types of care – whether that is in community resources, psychosocial support, engagement with medical and health care institutions, and of course in collective agency and solidarity.
By Shikha Aleya
January 3, 2023
Interview – Raj Mariwala
Interview – Raj Mariwala
A photograph of MHI director Raj Mariwala; she is playing with a grey-brown dog, squatting in grass.
Interview – Raj Mariwala

Self-care is influenced by the environment we inhabit, the way we relate to others, the way we negotiate with other living beings or structures. Self-care is also interlinked with other types of care – whether that is in community resources, psychosocial support, engagement with medical and health care institutions, and of course in collective agency and solidarity.
By Shikha Aleya
July 5, 2021
Interview – Raj Mariwala
Interview – Manak Matiyani
Photo of a smiling man who is wearing a blue patterned shirt and standing in front of a brick wall
Interview – Manak Matiyani

As we grow older, moral codes, conventions of appropriateness and shame, and the utilitarian and income-focused education we get make us lose that stability. The idea of play to me is about bringing back that ability and comfort into the lives of people so that they can actually play.

By Shikha Aleya
December 1, 2021
Interview – Manak Matiyani
Interview – Indu Harikumar
Interview – Indu Harikumar

I was watching something recently that said it was a bad thing to be vulnerable, but I don’t think it is a bad thing. I do see that there is a certain amount of power in vulnerability, it also needs courage, in my experience.
By Shikha Aleya
April 5, 2021
Interview – Indu Harikumar
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