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Vimla Patil was associated with Femina, India’s number one women’s magazine, published by the Times of India Group for 29 years. Femina is Vimla Patil's personal success story. Today, FEMINA is one of the strongest international brands with a vast readership in India and abroad. She initiated the Miss India contest in the mid-sixties for the journal and brought it to its present international stature. Vimla Patil promoted Indian textiles and fashion garments – especially handlooms – for decades by presenting over 4000 fashion shows in India and most countries of the world. After finishing her long stint with Femina, she built a brand new career for herself as a freelance multi-mediaperson with writing, events, public relations, shows and many more activities in her portfolio! Vimla Patil will be delighted to answer readers' questions. Please click on the comments page link at the bottom of the article to post your questions for her or to comment on her article.

Sex before marriage? Celebrities like top Tamil star Khushboo, formula car racer Naren Kartikeyan and tennis star Sania Mirza – both women recently backtracked after violent demonstrations – saying it’s ok to have pre-marital safe sex.

Scene from Neal ‘n’ Nikki

Sex before marriage? Multiple partners after marriage too if all concerned are willing? It’s an open media discussion now with celebrities like top Tamil star Khushboo, formula car racer Naren Kartikeyan and tennis star Sania Mirza – both women recently backtracked after violent demonstrations – saying it’s ok to have pre-marital safe sex. Neal ‘n’ Nikki, a film released by Yashraj Films, runs on the lead line: Nice is out, naughty is in! Miss Universe Natalie Glebnova of Russia also endorses the opinion of the three young celebrities of India.

When a topic is ‘hot’, everyone seems to jump onto the bandwagon. This is proved once again, with the release of the Yashraj Films’ newest offering Neal ‘n’ Nikki. The film’s promo line says, “Nice is out, naughty is in!” and the media thunderstorms prove this beyond the shadow of a doubt. On the east coast of India, in traditional Chennai, top Tamil actor Khushboo has been nearly stoned and shouted down because of her support of premarital sex as long as it is safe and does not ruin lives. To add fuel to this raging fire, Sania Mirza, style icon and world class teenage tennis sensation, has gone on record to support Khushboo and agreed with her that sex before marriage is ok between two consenting adults as long as it is safe, though both women have backtracked on this after conservative sections of society created a violent stir to denounce them.

The new film puts up a case for pre-marital sexual revelry in such a divided Indian society. Indian tradition and culture say that both bride and groom – most certainly the brides – should be virgins before their marriage. New age behaviour patterns and Western influences say otherwise. Surveys show that most teenagers in India have had their first sexual experience at the age of 19, late by international standards. Unfortunately, though figures and ratios are available aplenty about premarital sexual habits of modern young people, there are no reports or figures about the consequences which follow lifelong for having unprotected sex, for having multiple partners before and after marriage and the suffering of the mind and heart when love affairs go sour and become self-destructive. Indian media is full of young people killing lovers for refusing to marry, committing suicides in desperation, running away from home to avoid disgrace of sexual diseases, suffering from a wide range of STDs as well as from several dysfunctional disorders of the mind. It would be a good exercise for readers of this news report to post their views – especially with reference to the Indian society with its cultural baggage – as to what might be the future – free pre-and post-marriage sexual revelry for both partners, or some sort of controlled responsibility towards spouse and family?

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