The sharp reaction to the film, Girlfriend, from both gay rights activists and cultural conformists highlights the surprising fact that modern Indians seem to perceive sexuality in terms of duality, rather than as a spectrum along which a range of experiences are possible. Gay rights activists have a right to be upset about the sensational and insensitive treatment of lesbians in the film. It is truly unfortunate that a producer filming such a subject in India should have such a warped perspective, because the Indic tradition is wholistic, and recognizes and respects all streams of sexuality. In fact, our civilizational ethos views even celibacy as part of the sexual spectrum, rather than as the polar opposite of sexuality.
Despite a rich tradition of knowledge and tolerance, contemporary society, as gay rights activist Ashok Row Kavi asserts, is virtually homophobic (nurtures a phobia about homosexuals). This is largely because of the disproportionate weightage enjoyed by the so-called secular-liberal elite, which has blindly adopted western value systems at the expense of ideas and mores practiced and tolerated in traditional society. Since the West is deeply divided over the issue of homosexuality and the chattering classes derive their intellectual postures from debates specific to western society, the varied and nuanced responses to sexuality in the Indian tradition tend to be completely sidelined in public debate. Homosexuality thus tends to be viewed as an issue of human rights, or liberalism, opposition to the church, or similar ideological position.
Ancient India, on the other hand, explored the whole gamut of sexuality way back in the hoary past, and discussed it with admirable maturity and finesse. In this investigation, homosexuality was placed in perspective as simply a nature-given sexual orientation, and no moral stigma was attached thereto. It would therefore be in the fitness of things to examine our own traditions and draw appropriate lessons for the present, when fringe groups flit across the national stage and demand a share of the spotlight.
Personal sexual orientations and ingrained prejudices (which we mistakenly think are our belief systems and values) must be cast aside so that the issue of sexuality can be discussed objectively. Sexual minorities are neither deviants nor psychologically disturbed individuals; they are normal human beings entitled to the same respect that the public normally reserves for heterosexuals.
Ironically, the Manu Smriti, which is readily cited by Hindu-baiters to embarrass modern Indians on issues of caste and the status of women, has been ignored on the controversial issue of different sexuality. The Manu Smriti and the medical compendium, Sushruta Samhita, define homosexuality as an inborn variation of gender, an attribute of nature (tritiya-prakriti). It has nothing to do with personal perversion or moral degeneration, but is, like heterosexuality, an innate characteristic that one is born with.
Most people do not realize that universally, society has endorsed heterosexuality through the ages only because natural and social calamities have rendered the survival of the species a paramount concern. This produced a social and cultural bias in favour of large families, and gave an edge to heterosexual unions. Historically, the partiality towards large families is easily understood once one realizes that it was only in 1800 AD that the world population first touched one thousand million.
However, despite its own concerns with population and social stability, Indian society has recognized the existence of sexual minorities and given them due space and respect by positioning them in the spiritual pantheon. Indeed, this is a long tradition in India, going back, as Indologist Alain Danielieu has noted, to the tale of Shiva making love to the beautiful Vishnu; their offspring were the aparajitas. The god Kartikeya, son of Shiva, is said to be the god of homosexual males; his worship is prohibited to women.
Ancient Indian awareness of male and even female homosexuality has been ably represented in art, most notably in the sensuous sculptures of Khajuraho and Konark, because the tradition did not purge any aspect of human experience. Since Indian society was and is even today rooted in a complex spiritual-cultural matrix, the latter is also the best source with which to validate practices and customs that are in danger of being victimized by modern-day ignorance and prejudice. Actually, modern India’s inability to handle homosexuality is a colonial legacy; even today, it is a crime on the statute book because we have not deleted obscurantist laws enacted in the pre-independence era.
The knowledge that a purely natural activity is legally unacceptable, often tacitly perpetuates the feeling that the activity is improper and immoral. This tacit undermining of sexual minorities has prevented them from getting justice. The fact of the matter is that sexual orientation is a matter of innate disposition and is not made out of deliberate choice or a perverse desire to shock and startle. Society cannot be corrupted by an act known from the dawn of civilization, though I would concede that a lurid portrayal of a lesbian relationship can stimulate obsessive attitudes towards issues of sexuality and gender.
It is therefore truly unfortunate that Girlfriend gave sexual minorities a feeling of being let down, when it could have actually celebrated the Indian sexual cosmos. Yet, far from winning public esteem for the lesbian community, which has a very low social profile, it has actually created a vulgar stereotype and driven the group back to near-invisibility. Girlfriend must in this respect be regarded as an anti-social film – it has caused hurt to a vulnerable section of society.
A filmmaker is an artist who uses celluloid as his medium, rather than paint and easel. Karan Razdan’s failure to bring the suppressed Indian lesbian to bloom is inexcusable given the fact that the Indic civilization has always linked creativity and sexuality. The connection is recognized even in the spiritual tradition, and the powers of creativity, sexuality, as well as the ability to transcend sexuality through abstinence and celibacy, are all located in the sex chakra.
Sahara Time, 17 July 2004