Mahinder Watsa
Mahinder Watsa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mahinder C. Watsa 11 February 1924 sex educator |
| Spouse | Promila (deceased 2006)[1] |
Mahinder Watsa (11 February 1924
Life and work
Mahinder Watsa's father was a
During his time at a medical college in Mumbai, Watsa stayed with friends of his family. Through them, he met his future wife, Promila. Despite coming from different backgrounds and castes (he was
Watsa began a career as a columnist in the 1960s when, in his late 30s, he was asked to start writing a medical advice column for a women's magazine. He continued authoring health columns for several women's magazines, such as Femina, Flair, and Trend, into the 1970s until he encountered resistance from an editor who insisted upon censoring queries about sexual health. Watsa however maintained his writing through numerous alternative outlets including men's magazines (such as 'Fantasy') and, later, websites.[1][3][4]
One of the readers of the Femina column had filed an obscenity lawsuit claiming that the publishers were fabricating the letters to increase readership. The editor, Sathya Saran, managed to convince the judge to drop the case by delivering a sack of unopened letters to him.[5]
Through his work as a columnist he became aware of the lack of
Ask the Sexpert column
In 2005, aged 80, Watsa began writing a column called Ask the Sexpert for the newspaper Mumbai Mirror, which is noted for its witty replies to queries.[1] The newspaper has subsequently been threatened with lawsuits and accusations of obscenity.[1][6] Suchitra Dalvie, a gynaecologist, conducted a study by analysing more than 500 letters sent to the column. According to her, the study revealed a lack of sex education even among urban and relatively well-educated Indians.[1] In August 2014, his editor estimated that he had received more than 40,000 queries for the column.[5]
Death
Watsa died in Mumbai on 28 December 2020, aged 96.[7]
Awards
- 2014 Dr. Ved Vyas Puri Award: On 17 June 2014, he was given this award by the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) for his contributions to sex education in India.[4][8]
Published papers
- Watsa, Mahinder C (1993). "Premarital sexual behaviour of urban educated youth in India". Workshop on Sexual Aspects of AIDS/STD Prevention in India. .
- Watsa, M. C. (2005). "Sexual Health Services for Young People" (PDF). Journal of Family Welfare. 50 (I). Family Planning Association of India: 36.
- M. C. Watsa; Amita Dhanu (2013). "Three decades of meeting sexual and reproductive health needs of young people" (PDF). Journal of Family Welfare. 50: 83–88.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ask the Sexpert: The 90-year-old sex guru". BBC News. 21 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ Pathak, Sushmita (18 August 2018). "A 94-Year-Old 'Sexpert' Gives India Advice on You Know What". NPR.
- ^ a b Lhendup G. Bhutia. "An Appointment with the Sexpert". OPEN. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ DNA India. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ a b Barry, Ellen (8 August 2014). "90-Year-Old Sex Columnist Shatters Taboos in India". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
- Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ "Mumbai's famous sexpert Dr Mahinder Watsa passes away". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Bees, Birds, and Bananas". Mumbai Mirror. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
External links
- Vibeke Venema (21 July 2014). "Ask the Sexpert: The 90-year-old sex guru". BBC News.
- Amrit Dhillon (28 February 2013). "What the sex doctor orders". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- Wasta, Mahinder. "Ask the Sexpert (Archives)". Mumbai Mirror.
- Barry, Ellen (8 August 2014). "90-Year-Old Sex Columnist Shatters Taboos in India". The New York Times.
- Ask the Sexpert (2017) - IMDb