 | |
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | India |
| Founder(s) | Paromita Vohra |
| URL | https://agentsofishq.com/ |
Agents of Ishq is an Indian website about sexuality, love and desire. It was founded in 2014 by filmmaker, writer and artist Paromita Vohra, whose aim was to "create a positive and enabling conversation around sex", including different sexual orientations. [1] [2] The website is run by Parodevi Pictures, an independent media and arts company based in Mumbai.
Agents of Ishq was a gradual outcome of Vohra's learnings build over her own work in documentary filmmaking, her relationship and interactions with feminist organizations like Saheli, Vaccha, Majlis and the urge to create something with its roots in the intuitive idea of feminism. With the working methodologies of an arts organization, Agents of Ishq aimed to co-create an inclusive, pleasure-positive, intersectional perspective on sexuality along with the contributors and audiences.
Covered by newspapers like The Hindu, The Indian Express and Economic Times, Agents of Ishq has been showcased as one of 10 global sexuality projects of excellence by UNESCO and has collaborated with organisations like Oxfam, Majlis, Population Council, CREA and brands such as Bumble.
Agents of Ishq is intended to provide a comprehensive sex education, using videos, graphics, comics, maps, arts and podcasts. Topics include relationships, dating, sex, and consent, within the framework of Indian culture. [3] It draws on popular culture, including Bollywood style music videos and ancient erotic art. [4] The website also contains teaching modules for schools and educators. The site is bilingual, with material in Hindi and English. [1]
Agents of Ishq have produced several short film for their website. In 2016, they created an educational movie called Main Aur Meri Body, in collaboration with the NGO SNEHA in Dharavi, Mumbai. [1] The same year they made a short film on the issue of sexual consent in collaboration with the lavani dance group Sangeet Bari, called The Amorous Adventures of Shakku and Megha in the Valley of Consent. The video also features actor and comedian Gaurav Gera. [5] In March 2020, Agents of Ishq released another film with lavani dancers, Aika To The Baika: Police Complaint Lavani. The theme of the film, which was created in collaboration with the feminist legal centre Majlis, is how gender bias and misogyny can make it difficult for women to report sexual harassment or assaults, as women are often told that they will dishonour their families if they make such reports. [6]
In 2021, Agents of Ishq, along with The YP Foundation, organized a 3-day digital conference called Love, Sex and Data (LSD) conference. [7] They have also partnered with Oxfam India. [8]
Agents of Ishq has won 5 Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity (LMMAGS). The LMMAGS is an initiative of the NGO Population First's Project Laadli to recognize efforts in gender sensitive journalism.
The awarded works include Aika to the Baika in the Web (Marathi) category, #SorryThankYouTataByeBye in Web - Feature Category, #GrownUpGirls in Web - Social Media Campaign category and Chitthi Aayi Hai! Ek Zara Choti, Ek Thodi Badi Lesbian Ke Beech, E-Mail Pe Baatein in the Web Blog (Hindi) category.
Agents of ishq has also been nominated for the Cosmopolitan Blogger awards.
The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim that the sexual activity was consensual, and such sexual activity may be considered child sexual abuse or statutory rape. The person below the minimum age is considered the victim, and their sex partner the offender, although some jurisdictions provide exceptions through "Romeo and Juliet laws" if one or both participants are underage, and are close in age.
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone to acts with another person in varying patterns of frequency, for a wide variety of reasons. Sexual activity usually results in sexual arousal and physiological changes in the aroused person, some of which are pronounced while others are more subtle. Sexual activity may also include conduct and activities which are intended to arouse the sexual interest of another or enhance the sex life of another, such as strategies to find or attract partners, or personal interactions between individuals. Sexual activity may follow sexual arousal.
The sex-positive movement is a social and philosophical movement that seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality as a natural and healthy part of the human experience and emphasizing the importance of personal sovereignty, safer sex practices, and consensual sex. It covers every aspect of sexual identity including gender expression, orientation, relationship to the body, relationship-style choice, and reproductive rights. Sex-positivity is "an attitude towards human sexuality that regards all consensual sexual activities as fundamentally healthy and pleasurable, encouraging sexual pleasure and experimentation." It challenges societal taboos and aims to promote healthy and consensual sexual activities. The sex-positive movement also advocates for comprehensive sex education and safe sex as part of its campaign. The movement generally makes no moral distinctions among types of sexual activities, regarding these choices as matters of personal preference.
In the Indian subcontinent, hijra are eunuchs, intersex people, or transgender people who live in communities that follow a kinship system known as guru-chela system. They are also known as aravani, aruvani, and jogappa. The term is used in Pakistan as khawaja sira, the equivalent of transgender in the Urdu language.
Sex-positive feminism, also known as pro-sex feminism, sex-radical feminism, or sexually liberal feminism, is a feminist movement centering on the idea that sexual freedom is an essential component of women's freedom. They oppose legal or social efforts to control sexual activities between consenting adults, whether they are initiated by the government, other feminists, opponents of feminism, or any other institution. They embrace sexual minority groups, endorsing the value of coalition-building with marginalized groups. Sex-positive feminism is connected with the sex-positive movement. Sex-positive feminism brings together anti-censorship activists, LGBT activists, feminist scholars, producers of pornography and erotica, among others. Sex-positive feminists believe that prostitution can be a positive experience if workers are treated with respect, and agree that sex work should not be criminalized.
The social construction of human sexuality and sexual behavior—along with its taboos, regulation, and social and political impact—has had a profound effect on the various cultures of the world since prehistoric times.
Erotic hypnosis is a broad term for a variety of erotic activities involving hypnosis. Some erotic hypnosis is practiced in the context of BDSM relationships and communities. In addition, for some people hypnosis is inherently erotic, making it an example of a sexual fetish or paraphilia.
Erotic horror, alternately called horror erotica or dark erotica, is a term applied to works of fiction in which sensual or sexual imagery are blended with horrific overtones or story elements for the sake of sexual titillation. Horror fiction of this type is most common in literature and film. Erotic horror films are a cornerstone of Spanish and French horror.
India has developed its discourse on sexuality differently based on its distinct regions with their own unique cultures. According to R.P. Bhatia, a New Delhi psychoanalyst and psychotherapist, middle-class India's "very strong repressive attitude" has made it impossible for many married couples to function well sexually, or even to function at all.
Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty, and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest may be expressed in a number of ways, such as flirting, kissing, masturbation, or having sex with a partner. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores, sex education, as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation, and social controls such as age-of-consent laws.
Human sexuality covers a broad range of topics, including the physiological, psychological, social, cultural, political, philosophical, ethical, moral, theological, legal and spiritual or religious aspects of sex and human sexual behavior.
Pornography in India is restricted and illegal in all form including print media, electronic media, and digital media (OTT). Hosting, displaying, uploading, modifying, publishing, transmitting, storing, updating or sharing pornography is illegal in India.
Feminist views on BDSM vary widely from acceptance to rejection. BDSM refers to bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and Sado-Masochism. In order to evaluate its perception, two polarizing frameworks are compared. Some feminists, such as Gayle Rubin and Patrick Califia, perceive BDSM as a valid form of expression of female sexuality, while other feminists, such as Andrea Dworkin and Susan Griffin, have stated that they regard BDSM as a form of woman-hating violence. Some lesbian feminists practice BDSM and regard it as part of their sexual identity.
Nazariya: A QueerFeminist Resource Group is a non-profit queer feminist resource group based out of Delhi NCR, India. The group was formed in October 2014, and has since established a South Asian presence. The organization undertakes workshops/seminars, helpline- and case-based counselling, and advocacy to affirm the rights of persons identifying as lesbian and bisexual women, and transgender persons assigned female at birth. Nazariya QFRG also works to inform queer discourse in institutions, and build linkages between queer issues, violence and livelihoods. They focus on the intersectionality between queer, women’s and progressive left movements in India.
Feminist pornography is a genre of film developed by or for those within the sex-positive feminist movement. It was created for the purpose of promoting gender equality by portraying more bodily movements and sexual fantasies of women and members of the LGBT community.
Paromita Vohra is an Indian filmmaker and writer. She is known for her documentaries on subjects such as urban life, desire, pop culture and gender. She has also written the screenplay of the award-winning feature film Khamosh Pani. Her film production company Parodevi Pictures is based in Mumbai. She writes a column Paro-normal Activity for the Sunday Mid-day and also wrote a weekly column for Mumbai Mirror.
Porn for women, women's porn or women's pornography is pornography aimed specifically at the female market, and often produced by women. It rejects the view that pornography is only for men, and seeks to make porn that women enjoy watching instead of what is being offered in male-centric mainstream pornography.
Jaya Sharma is a queer feminist author based in New Delhi, India. She identifies as a queer feminist activist, working on issues of gender, education and sexuality. As the founder of Nirantar and part of the sexuality education initiative within Nirantar, she is involved with capacity building, research and advocacy.
Nathicharami is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language film written by Sandhya Rani, directed by Manjunatha Somashekara Reddy (Mansore) and produced by M. Ramesh, under the banner Tejaswini Enterprises. Jaganmohan Reddy and Shivkumar Reddy are the other producers. The music of the film is scored by Bindhu Malini. The film stars Sruthi Hariharan and Sanchari Vijay with Sharanya, Poornachandra Mysore, Balaji Manohar and Gopal Deshpande in key roles. The sound design is done by Mahavir Sabbanavar and cinematography by Guruprasad Narnad. Manasa Mustafa has designed the costumes for the film.
Leeza Mangaldas is an Indian sex educator, videographer, podcaster, author, and actress. Her work focuses on female sexuality. She is the author of the 2022 nonfiction educational book The Sex Book: A Joyful Journey of Self Discovery.