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Time to speak up
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Let's stop hush-hushing about sexuality, says Dr. Padmini Prasad, the organising secretary of a national seminar on sexology beginning tomorrow
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PHOTO: SAMPATH KUMAR G.P.
TABOO TOPIC Dr. Padmini Prasad: `Misconceptions are passed on from generation to generation'
An often-heard advice to all women doctors when they finish their graduation is: "Why don't you specialise in something related to women, like say gynaecology?" Padmini Prasad too started her career as a gynaecologist and obstetrician. But she has since then moved on to an area of specialisation tread by very few women — sexology.
"As a gynaecologist I not only met women who came to me for treatment but also entire families that accompanied them. I realised how many of their problems stemmed from sexual issues which they found difficult to even speak about," says Dr. Padmini about her initiation into the field.
Since then, she has also gone on to playing an active role in promoting sex education as well, authoring several books and anchoring interactive shows on television on the subject.
Right now she is in the thick of organising a national seminar on sexology that begins tomorrow in the city. She is the organising secretary of the four-day seminar on Sexual Health in the 21st Century that looks at a host of issues from adolescent sexuality to geriatric sexuality.
Dr. Padmini believes events of this kind are important in the mission of "breaking the silence on sexuality".
Though spread of HIV-AIDS in the Eighties was a rude wake-up call that forced people to take the issue seriously, sexuality is still an area fraught with myths and misconceptions. Ironically, more so among people who have gifted the Kamasutra to the world. "These are passed on from generation to generation without an open discussion. Parents and teachers don't talk about sexuality during a child's growing up years. So there are problems starting from body image misconceptions to several phobias and negative attitudes." In the lack of adequate scientific knowledge, it becomes an area where quacks thrive.
Misconceptions, in fact, begin with the way we understand the very word. "Sexuality is not just about the sexual act. It refers to the idea of maleness and femaleness that accompanies a person from birth to death." It begins with gender assignment at the time of birth and takes on different forms at different stages of life. It's often a socio-medical domain that encompasses broader sociological issues of gender equality in a relationship or crimes against women.
A typical way of handling sexuality is to either push it under the carpet or relegate it to the area of slang and colourful verbal abuses that come with distinctively pornographic undertones, says Dr. Padmini. "It's really high time we accepted sexuality as part of our being."
The 22nd national conference on sexology on the theme Sexual Health in the 21st Century will be held at Ambedkar Bhavan, Miller Road, From September 14 to 17. It will include a workshop and a series of seminars. For details, call 23354293.
It's a dormant problem
High-flying corporate jobs, everyone knows, come with strings attached: long hours of work, high levels of stress, constant travel, biological clock gone haywire, constant fear of the pink slip...
But not many know that jet setting lifestyle affects people's sexuality too, says Padmini Prasad. Even as the IT-BT and BPO sectors have seen high economic growth, there has been a clear deterioration in the sexual health of the employees . While there is far less time for anything besides work on the one hand, there is no freedom from stress even in their so-called free time . "You spend so much time on acquiring very specialised skills. But you end up with no time to think about basic life skills," says Dr. Padmini. "You encounter an amazing amount of ignorance about sexuality among them."
Irregular menstrual cycles, infertility and unconsummated marriages (some for as long as 10 to 15 years!), says Dr. Padmini, are common complaints from people in these sectors. She has also noticed among them what she calls "sexual anorexia".
But the positive thing, she points out, is that they recognise it as a problem and seek help, thanks to their constant exposure to the Net and other media.
BAGESHREE S.
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