"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
Over the years, I have collected various pieces of erotica from around the world. Every time I shared them with friends or in the larger forum of an exhibition, I was told that it would be wonderful if more people had access to such an artistic display of erotica. And that is why I decided to publish my collection of erotic art in this book.
Within its pages, you will find various sexual positions depicted in exquisite ivory carvings from Asia, Africa and Europe... Centuries-old wood carvings from South India... and postcards down the ages that eulogize the art of loving through sentimental odes to passion and romance or even through humour! Apart from these, you will discover many more media innovatively employed in the service of titillating libidos and encouraging the fulfilment of passionate urges.
Whether the artefacts are centuries old or are modern-day expressions of contemporary artists, the moments they have captured of heterosexual or same-sex couples in the throes of passion, are eternal. They were a human truth since humans evolved and will remain a human truth as long as our race populates the earth.
Transcending time and place, unlimited by decade or geography, these pieces of erotic art are sure to fuel passions and revive the grace of expressing our innermost essence. After all, whether it is about raw ecstasy or a sublime state bordering on the spiritual, our sexuality is to be honoured as a gift from God.
Dr Prakash Kothari
Dr Prakash Kothari is Founder Professor and Head of the Department of Sexual Medicine at Seth G. S. Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India. He is Founder Member of the Advisory Committee, World Association for Sexology (W.A.S.). His path-breaking research on orgasm and his monograph on sage Vatsyayana and his world-famous sex manual, Kamasutra put India on the world map. Dr Kothari is also an avid collector of rare and beautiful erotic art. His Sex & You, a Guide for Laymen, is a classic that has been translated into many languages in India and abroad. He is also renowned for his professional treatise, Orgasm: New Dimensions. The Asian Federation for Sexology honoured him as 'The Sexologist of Asia'. The World Association for Sexology bestowed upon him the title, 'Man of the Year' in 1989 and conferred its highest award, the W.A.S. Gold Medal, in 1997. In recognition of the significant contribution made to sexual medicine, Dr Kothari was awarded the Padma Shri by the President of India.
Dr Kothari's collection of Ganeshas began almost accidentally: he picked up a terracotta sealing displaying the god in a flea market by chance. This could well be the world's oldest representation of the deity. That very day a friend gifted him a stunning miniature of Ganesha made by a Maratha Schoolmaster. Thus began one of the most fascinating collecting odysseys in post-independence India. It covers a dazzling range of mediums and modes; it also spans an awesome interval of portraits of Ganesha across the ages.
