Sex toys are outlawed in India. Despite a ban, they are widely available at Fort in Mumbai, and Palika Bazaar in Delhi. Toys include vibrators and strap-on dildos. The most popular items are inflatable dolls. Sex toys in India find mention in Vatsyayana's magnum-opus, the Kama Sutra, where there are references to apadravyas (dildos), and life-size pratimas (wooden figures) used in the sexual act are mentioned. Experts such as Dr Prakash Kothari, professor of sexual medicine at Mumbai's KEM Hospital, questions the ban on sex toys, calling it "pseudo-moralistic". The surreptitious market value for sex toys in India is valued at Rs. 500 crore (US$ 103 million). |