As recently as the last decade, there was surprisingly little solid research on sexuality in India. Yet the availability of accurate information about contemporary sexual behaviors and attitudes is essential to the design of interventions to reduce risky behaviors and prevent the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS. Sexuality in the Time of AIDS: Contemporary Perspectives from Communities in India (2004, SAGE Publications) draws upon ten years of research related to the cultural and social factors in Indian society that contribute to the risk of HIV infection. The four co-authors/coeditors of the book—among them Population Council program associate Ravi Verma—have compiled the research findings of more than two dozen social scientists on a range of salient issues. Aimed at public health professionals, policymakers, educators, activists, and managers of nongovernmental organizations, the book presents case studies from disparate segments of the nation’s 1.1 billion people, rural and urban, ranging from “Street Boys and Male Sex Workers in Bangalore” to “Married Women in Extramarital Relationships in a Rural Area of Gujarat.” The Secretary of the Indian Government’s Department of Health, J.V.R. Prasada Rao, comments in the introduction, “The openness advocated in these essays needs to be adopted by both the government and civil society. . . . I feel extremely happy and satisfied to see such a large volume of material brought together. . . .” Each chapter provides a unique perspective, advancing the authors’ goal of broadening discourse on sexuality in India. Researchers and others working to stem the spread of HIV/ AIDS may find the final three chapters to be of particular interest. Grouped as “Lessons Learned,” they discuss different sexual behaviors, multimethod approaches to research on sexuality, and guidelines for policymaking and interventions in the time of AIDS. Ravi Verma studies male sexuality and sexual health and their relationship to HIV/AIDS risk and domestic violence. Working from the Council’s New Delhi office, he also conducts research to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS on families and children. “India is teetering on the edge of the AIDS abyss,” he says, “but it is not too late to pull back if the right steps are taken quickly. Frank and open discussion of sexual behavior is absolutely vital, and we hope that our book can serve as a catalyst in that process.” (Return to issue contents)
| 
