SEX, drugs and rock ’n roll. Three things that the current generation doesn’t take lightly. Don’t be surprised if an urbane 18-year-old of the Eminem era swears that Woodstock ’69 was the best thing to happen to his generation. The same individual carries a condom in his wallet and believes that the country needs free sex. ‘‘I’m not encouraging people to jump partners,’’ says Xerxes Mody, 18. A motley trio is seated around him, waiting to pounce onto that statement and shred it to bits: Nima Kaushik, 20, a student of Economics at Mumbai’s upmarket Jai Hind college, her childhood friend Natasha Shah, and Dinesh Sajnani, 18 and a student of MMK College of Commerce and Economics.An alumnus of the very cosmopolitan Cathedral & John Cannon school, Xerxes is quite cynical about the subject of sex in India. ‘‘I’m all for pre-marital sex because it is a step forward. Though in India, one step forward means five steps backwards — people aren’t allowed to hold hands, sit together facing the sea, leave alone kiss in this place,’’ says Mody.As the conversation progresses, the group splits along gender lines. The very vocal Nima only proves the point when she spits out at the men, ‘‘You’re only advocating pre-marital sex because sex is the only thing on a guy’s mind.’’ The statement is followed by a round of shocked ‘‘no-no’’s and Xerxes emphatically fencing the verbal slashes that Nima and Natasha inflict upon him. ‘‘We have better things to discuss,’’ reiterates Xerxes. ‘‘Like what?’’ chorus the girls in disbelief and Xerxes retorts ‘‘Sports,’’ with a deadpan expression. That’s too far fetched even for his sparring partner and friend Dinesh, who breaks into raucous laughter.Finally, the men establish the fact that they’re all for pre-marital sex, while the women feel that the decision to go in for a sexual relationship depends entirely on the level of commitment. ‘‘First, we don’t want to jump into bed for health reasons, second, it prevents heartbreak and third, a ‘slut image’ is associated with a girl when she sleeps with a man,’’ Nima adds. Another revelation is the fact that sex dominates girl gossip and some girls face tremendous pressure when it comes to being a virgin and sleeping with their boyfriend. ‘‘It’s a scoring game now even for women. ‘How many men have you slept with?’ is a common classroom query,’’ says Nima. Dinesh, who ‘‘doesn’t care about peer pressure’’ agrees that there is a great deal of peer pressure amongst men too.Natasha, 20, who studies in Singapore, pipes in to say that the issue of pre-marital sex is treated differently abroad. ‘‘People are definitely more open about sex in Singapore, but that doesn’t make me certain I will take the step when the time comes,’’ she says.The women also insist that their views on pre-marital sex have changed over time, while the men claim that their observations have remained constant. ‘‘I didn’t think of pre-marital sex as a means to figure out a couple’s sexual compatibility till now,’’ says Nima. Age is also an important factor in deciding to consummate the relationship. ‘‘I would never tolerate it if my 16-year-old sister decides to have sex with her boyfriend because physical maturity is equally important,’’ asserts Nima. The group finally settles on the fact that physical and mental maturity are important considerations for both men and women who decide to get intimately involved.Gender debates also arise when the subject of responsibility is raised. ‘‘I don’t think any male would take responsibility for an unwanted pregnancy that is a consequence of pre-marital sex,’’ asserts Natasha bitterly. And though Xerxes claims that he would take responsibility, he also acts as the spokesperson for his sex by saying, ‘‘The male population as a whole would never support a pregnant woman in this case.’’Arguments about men getting more carried away and ignoring the use of a condom settle on a positive note. ‘‘I think the current generation advocates protected sex, there’s no gender bias on this issue,’’ sums up Xerxes. ‘‘Yes, the fear of AIDS is big,’’ adds Natasha. ‘‘It would help if parents insisted on HIV tests, apart from matching horoscopes when they get their children married,” says Nima. This generation has woken up. And it looks like it’s on the right side of the bed.
