Why India in 2019 can take lessons on love and women’s desire from its ancient past

A renowned historian of ancient India, Professor Nayanjot Lahiri has written on subjects such as the life and times of King Ashoka and the Indus Valley civilisation. Her work is quoted in academic circles, and her views are sought by media and government alike. Which is why her latest work, Time Pieces: A Whistle-Stop Tour of Ancient India (Hachette India, Rs 399), is a bit of a surprise. Unlike the gravitas of her previous works, this one has been written for a lay reader, even young adults, who would be interested in history with a pinch of salt and a bit of teekha tadka.

Time Pieces: A Whistle-Stop Tour of Ancient India

Lahiri writes about food, hygiene, death, identity and so on, in the India of yore. Most interesting is the idea of love and sex in ancient India as well as antiquity. For those of us who looked up to the West for feminist idols – from iconic writers like Germaine Greer and Virginia Woolf, to the legendary entertainer Madonna, to media giant Oprah Winfrey – and for those of us who have battled everyday sexism in our homes, workplaces and on the street, the priority that men had placed on women’s needs and feelings in ancient India comes as a pleasurable eye-opener.

Perhaps it has always been there at the back of our minds. After all, many of us have heard of or read the Kamasutra where love is an idea that transcends narrow barriers. It is here that Lahiri, with her brilliant narrative and skills as a historian, weaves together unconnected pieces and holds a mirror to modern Indian society, which is seen as misogynistic and indifferent to women’s desires and aspirations. That women are meant for procreational purposes alone has a theoretical religious underpinning.