Recently, I attended a discussion at Martin Chautari. We were discussing a book called Sajilo by Mohan Raj Sharma. With its gay characters and lesbian couples, I was not particularly interested in the content of Sajilo, however, I was curious how the speaker, also my acquaintance, would talk on such a delicate matter. He spoke on the history of homosexuality, how various religions and cultures view it, and on sexual emancipation. Although he spoke in Nepali, interestingly enough, he used the English terms for sex and sexuality. As far as I could tell, he talked on eroticism without sounding obscene. The speaker mentioned about the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) many times, because the central theme of the novel being discussed was transgender/gay/lesbian. This prompted a man in the audience to mistake him as a member of the BDS. Those who knew the speaker laughed. He flushed a bit and it took him a while to regain his composure. If the majority of audience thought homosexuality was okay, why did they snigger? If they think sexual minorities must be integrated in the society, why do they sound liberal during talks but are quite the contrary in their attitude? Beats me!
In some cultures, public display of affection - lip-locking, smooching - is not considered offensive at all, where as in some cultures they are strict taboos. In some countries pornography is protected by law. For example, in the USA. But in other countries nudity is considered a crime. Take for instance the Kenyan example: A newspaper was banned there for three days for publishing a picture of a woman giving birth on the street.
I find Nepali society quite liberal when it comes to matters relating to eroticism. Examples of erotic sentiments abound—wood carvings on the struts of temples, tantric texts, ancient drawings and paintings, esoteric rituals, deities like Unmatta Bhairav, Chakrasamvar etc, and of course the Shiva Lingam. I don’t wish to offend anybody, I am only listing them because as I see it they are erotic but not obscene.
Contemporary instances of obscenity making their way into our society abound. Consider the following examples: The punch-line of an advert: Go get the balls. When no reference is made to football, tennis ball, volleyball etc, one can be forgiven for understanding it to mean testicles, unless we feign otherwise.
Take another example, the headline news of a local English daily: Hubbies to be punished for sleeping with wives.
Recently a vernacular daily ran a cover story of a sex scandal of an actress/model. The paper was castigated for invading an individual’s privacy. However, the next day it reacted arrogantly by running yet another sex story involving another actress/model!
Not only the state but also the journalists themselves have come up with the dos and don’ts, and code of conduct regarding protection of individual privacy. However these guidelines are not strictly followed. As a result, it is not uncommon to come across obscene materials in our media. Some years back an aspiring actress Shrisha Karki, committed suicide over the publication of her nude photo. Has anyone been punished for it?
Last but not the least, let me draw your attention to the issue of obscene language in the media. Ask Khagendra Sangraula what he meant by ‘ijar kholera bhugol dekhaideo’. This is so offensive that I don’t dare translate it into English.
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