sexuality Archives - The Third Eye

Rapture and Distress: Unpacking Women’s Sexuality in India with Psychoanalyst Amrita Narayanan

June 11, 2025

In this episode of Back Story, clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Amrita Narayanan explores the raptures and distress that shape women’s sexuality in modern India. Drawing from her book ‘Women’s Sexuality and Modern India’ (Oxford University Press), Amrita takes us through years of psychoanalytic work and intimate conversations with women. What emerges is a granular map of sexuality– where guilt, pleasure, internalized shame, and familial influence coalesce.

Melonhead

June 11, 2025

The only relief I found while caught between Ma and Pa’s cold war was when Nirmala rode her motorbike down to Thirukulamandapam for a visit. I told Pa that I would be out all day spending time with an old primary school classmate.

Lessons in Thrill with Cola and Coleman

June 11, 2025

Arrupe Canteen is home to acidity-inducing Zinger burgers and a colourful range of other packaged foods that sustain a bustling college population. I try to be mildly health-conscious, especially when people are watching, so I usually keep my distance from its energy drink, chips and candy-covered counters.

Lies and Truce in the English Classroom

June 11, 2025

I once taught a girl whose laughter made me think of falling water on stones. I recall the sound of it as clearly as I recall how often and how willingly she told me jokes. On the day her friends left on a trip, I asked her, ‘Priskilla, why didn’t you go to Bali?’ She said, ‘Ma’am, my purse was khaali.’

The Psyche Series on Sexuality | Chapter I: Lack

June 11, 2025

This is Part II of a series on the psyche and sexuality, based on the author’s research, reflections and analysis. The series explains key psychoanalytic concepts and offers pedagogical possibilities while working on sexuality.

Introducing the Psyche Lens on Sexuality

June 11, 2025

Yummy yuckiness is the stuff of life. Allowing the bewilderment around it to bubble up matters. Alongside recognition, the exploration of why pleasure and danger are so mixed up also matters. While sharing why I think this exploration is important, I’d like to begin with my own experiences.

What if Your Job is to Teach Men and Boys to be Better Men and Boys?

April 25, 2023

Work on gender in the development and social sector has traditionally engaged with women and girls. It was only in the mid-90s that some NGOs started working with men and boys on issues of gender. One of the first entry points for this was population control and reproductive health where they were encouraged to use condoms and to accompany their pregnant wives to healthcare centres.