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The controversy over covering up the torso of the Indus Valley Dancing Girl in an NCERT textbook brought back an old memory.

Many years ago, I attended a performance of The Vagina Monologues. At one point, actor Dolly Thakore stood on stage and asked the audience to shout, “Vagina! Vagina!”

A surprising number of people found this difficult. The word seemed to get stuck somewhere between the brain and their vocal cords. Some people whispered it. Some giggled. Some looked around nervously to see whether anybody was watching. A few brave souls shouted it out. Most appeared to be wondering whether respectable people should utter the names of intimate body parts in public.

I wondered, how do we discuss something if we cannot even name it?

The same thought has occurred to me repeatedly during condom demonstration sessions. Health workers can explain HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and prevention strategies with great confidence. Then comes the........

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