by Young
“How often do you come here?” I asked my companion.
“Whenever I’m in town,” he replied.
Before I could continue my queries, a Thai announcer blazoned for the show to begin. Flashing disco lights hit the stage as a ping-pong table was secured in place. Shortly afterward, a couple of half-clad females appeared on stage. Without further ado, they got down to business. Off flew their bikini bottoms, exposing two shaven vaginas. They straddled the table opposite one another and proceeded to insert ping-pong balls into their privates, in readiness for their tournament to commence. The female who could shoot the most balls out of her contractive opening would win and become the ‘Best Ping-Pong Shooter.’
I was beguiled and piqued by this cavum sport. Up until that juncture, I had not witnessed such a wacky performance, and I had no idea that women could prime their privates to propel objects across a room like shooting stars. Catcalls and wolf whistles ensured.
The following stunt was more cogent than the first. A dartboard was placed against the stage wall. Two different competitors came onstage. A dart at a time was inserted, and then the compère signalled for them to aim and fire their vaginal missiles onto the board. The winner not only hit the bullseye, but the darts she blasted stuck securely onto the target.
This was no easy feat, as it takes customary practise, precision and strength to hit the bull and stick the dart securely onto the board.
I’m sure most of the spectators viewed the women’s performances with provocative implications rather than analytical perspectives like moi. Nevertheless, these show girls were nothing short of solid entertainers, similar to artistes in a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, even if their act was of an erotic nature.
I was speechless when Max solicited my thoughts about the show.
1968
AVM Productions
Esquire Snow and Mr. Romesh Thapar had organized a meeting for the Count and the dashing and accomplished South India’s movie mogul A. V. Meiyappan. This far-sighted entrepreneurial filmmaker had a finger on the moviegoers’ pulse. He entered the world of movies in 1931, not long after talkies were introduced in India. For more than half a century, he worked incessantly, producing all kinds of pictures in different languages. This talented man of great foresight faced much adversity in his early career, but like any true pioneer, he fought relentlessly to get to the top.
AVM Productions, a major film studio, was one of Mr. Meiyappan’s many achievements. His film studio in Vadapalani, Madras, offered numerous opportunities and successes to the performing artistes and technicians of its day.
On a day in late May, the Italian Count Mario laid out the plot for his upcoming film project to top Indian movie executives.
Since our Khajuraho photo-shoot, Mario had been riveted by the erotic temple reliefs. Those of us who knew the photographer were not surprised by his decision to adapt Vātsyāyana’s Kāmasūtra into a creative screenplay.
“In my understanding of Vātsyāyana’s text, there are three major goals of human life in traditional Hindu society:
● The first and foremost - Dharma: the fulfillment of secular and religious duties that derive from participation in a specific religious tradition and the notable stages of life.
● Followed closely by Artha: the wealth required to attain material comfort.
● Last but not least, Kama: the sexual desire and realization of erotic satisfaction.
“Fulfilling all of the above provides one’s liberation from moksha (nirvana) - the cycle of birth and death.
“It is from these three objectives that my screenplay originates. These aspirations have to be translated into a contemporary context, one that moviegoers can relate to,” Count Conti heralded.
Mario, the professional, had done his homework. To steer his benefactors to his conceptualized diegesis, he had laid the storyboard out in a slideshow so that we attendees could view and listen to the story’s plot.
A Tale of Love
His movie depicts the story of two girls, raised together, from different social classes in 16th century India. Niya was born a princess to a wealthy kingdom, while Vaneesha, her servant of exceptional beauty, came from a lower caste. As children, the girls were the best of friends, but Niya’s conceitedness created a riptide of jealousy and resentment within her friend Vaneesha. The fact that Vaneesha was given the princess’s hand-me-downs served only to exemplify her servant’s resentment.
On the other hand, Niya begrudged Vaneesha for being a better classical dancer than she. By the time both girls reached marriageable age, Prince Guja, Niya’s attractive older brother, had secretly fallen in love with Vaneesha.
The plot thickened when Niya’s parents prepared an arranged marriage between their daughter to the handsome Prince Ram from a neighboring state, whereas Vaneesha was allocated a lesser role in service to the soon-to-be Queen Niya.
The inevitable happened. When Prince Ram came to view his future bride, he was smitten by the servant girl’s beauty and grace instead of his betrothed. Ram and Vaneesha spent an erotic evening together in forbidden sexual pleasure, only to be chanced upon by Prince Guja. A three-way liaison ensued.
Guja was now determined to marry the servant girl, and even though Ram had second thoughts about marrying Princess Niya, he went ahead with their wedding rites.
Before Niya left her ancestral home as Prince Ram’s newly wedded bride, Vaneesha informed Niya that she would now possess something the servant girl had used, instead of the other way around. With Niya’s romantic dream shattered, she was reluctant to consummate with her husband Prince Ram on their wedding night. This angered the sexually frustrated Ram, who raped his petrified bride, setting a tone of violence and humiliation within their marriage. In spite of this repugnant turn of events, Niya yearned for a loving relationship with her apathetic husband.
Meanwhile, Vaneesha turned down Prince Guja’s marriage proposal, knowing that Guja favoured men over females. Out of anger, Guja publicly branded her as a whore. Vaneesha was forced to leave home.
During her solitary wandering, while making a living as a classical dancer, she chanced upon a young sculptor, Jaleel whose patron happened to be Prince Ram, who was now King.
The sculptor confided to Vaneesha that her exotic beauty and grace had been the inspiration for all the erotic sculptures that were now prominently displayed at the King’s palace. Since the dancer had nowhere to live, Jaleel placed her in the care of Sita, a wise female sage who was versed in the arts of the Kāmasūtra, the ancient text of seduction and love making.
Under Sita’s tutelage, Vaneesha’s romantic relationship with Jaleel took on a new dimension. Consumed by his infatuation for the dancer, the sculptor feared that his work would suffer. He ended their intense relationship abruptly.
Rejected by her lover, Vaneesha found comfort in Sita’s arms. In turn, the woman taught the young dancer the art of being a courtesan.
In Jaleel’s sculptures, King Ram recognized Vaneesha’s visage. He dispatched an aide to locate the dancer and deliver her to him as his new concubine.
Inevitably, the infatuated sculptor confronted his patron, the King. Entrenched in a “friendly” homoerotic wrestling competition, Jaleel won and obtained the King’s favor. He was also forewarned by his majesty’s aides that dire consequences would befall him if he defeated the King again.
Jaleel soon learned his beloved Vaneesha was now the King’s favorite concubine, and he had to keep his former relationship with the dancer a secret.
Meanwhile, news of an invading Persian Shah inched closer while Ram descended into opium addiction, sexual cruelty and debauchery, both to his Queen and concubines.
Prince Guja, who was still smitten by the three-way liaison he had between the king and Vaneesha, took charge on King Ram’s behalf. While Guja was away fighting a losing battle against the Shah, Jaleel and Vaneesha rekindled their passion in secret.
Queen Niya soon discovered their clandestine affaire and was c
aptivated by her rival’s erotic expertise. She beseeched the concubine to teach her the arts of the Kāmasūtra as well. Both women agreed that their enmities would be a thing of the past if Vaneesha taught Niya the art of love-making. In return, she would assist her friend in sealing her relationship with Jaleel into a proper marriage.
The story ended with Prince Guja’s defeat in battle and King Ram’s suicide in the face of the Shah’s soldiers storming into the palace.
Niya, Vaneesha and Jaleel walked away into the distance, meditating on their newfound spiritual and sexual freedom. The final words from both women: “My heart is as open as the sky.”
Questions & Answers
As soon as the last slide flashed across the screen, The Count was inundated with a series of questions.
“I’m not sure if our Indian audience is ready for such an erotic production,” Mr. Thapar remarked concernedly.
Mario explained, “In Sanskrit literature, the Kāmasūtra is widely accepted as a standard work on human sexual behavior. Although my project consists of practical imagery on sexual intercourse, the script is largely in prose, with poetic verses.
“I’m sure you are aware, Mr. Romesh, ‘Kāma‘ (desire) is one of the four goals of Hindu life, including sexual aspirations. ‘Sūtra‘ is the thread that holds everything together.”
The learned Esquire Snow championed, “Contrary to common perception, the Kāmasūtra is not solely a sex manual but a guide to virtuous and gracious living that explores the nature of love, family life and aspects pertaining to a human being’s pleasure-oriented faculties in many domains.
“Although, in some parts of the world, it is portrayed as a list of creative sexual positions, in reality, only twenty percent is about sexual positions. The majority of the book is about the philosophy and theory of love, what triggers desire, what sustains it, and how and when it is positively or negatively applied.”
“Though this work is considered to be one the most comprehensive collections of sexual positions describing a number of female capabilities and of different types of sexual relationships, I’m not altogether convinced that this subject matter will have box-office appeal,” A. V. Meiyappan opined.
Count Conti countered, “I beg to differ. This tale of love touches on different human behaviors and their relationships to nature.
“For example, men are compared to stallions, bulls, or rabbits, and women to mares, elephants or gazelles. Apart from that, the script also touches on partner selection, marriage criteria, ways to gain favour, narratives of marriage traditions (including the bride’s role on her wedding night), and the mantles of courtesans and concubines. It also provides information on prostitution and its role in India’s social and cultural life.
While the debate raged forward, Señor Triqueros turned and gave me a witty grin. “Young, remember my lesson on social constructionism and communication theory?” he whispered sardonically.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Sex & Love
“The beauty and wisdom of Tantra
Is that it enhances sexuality
As a doorway to the
‘Ecstatic mind of great bliss’.
Truly, at the peak of orgasm,
We pierce through the illusion
Of fragmentation and separation
And glimpse the unity and
Interconnectedness of all beings.
And through our partner,
We fall in love with life.”
Victor Angel Triqueros
March 2013
My Email to Andy (Part Four)
Although I considered my Patpong experiences a hoot, never for a moment did I think Max was anything but trying to shock me as a first time visitor to Bangkok. He was unaware of my sophisticated outlook at my young age of twenty-one.
The next evening, after a fabulous dinner, he wanted to show me a Boy Bar. When I enquired what a Boy Bar was, he beckoned me to follow.
We arrived at one of the Soi (street) off the sub-district Silom’s main drag. As is still the case to this day, this city comes alive at night and this particular soi was no exception to the rule.
Max guided me through a smoke-filled entranceway and into the inner sanctum of Fanny Boy, a nightclub. A handful of half-naked, heavily made-up ladyboys was shuffling and giggling on stage.
The moment we found a table, a beefy Thai man in a pair of snappy underwear (the front and back of his briefs literally snapped together) appeared onstage. He threw one of the lady-boys roughly onto the ground, tore off her undergarments, and proceeded to thrust his erect schlong into her orifices, showing no signs of mercy to his ‘victim,’ who was revelling in the man’s savage onslaught. By the time the stage lights dimmed, the brute had shagged no fewer than four she-males in their faces and buttocks. This sadomasochistic performance was a far cry from my ardent harem experiences.
That act was followed by a tamer presentation. Muscular youths in fitted white briefs oiled and glided their glistening bodies against one another in fake erotic wrestling matches. Before long, they had slid off each other’s underwear, comparing throbbing erections for the night’s Big-Cock grand prize. Audience members were invited onstage to ‘weigh-in,’ ‘handle’ and jerk the ‘merchandise’ to orgasmic explosions before casting their votes to select the grand champion.
Leading a competitors’ third leg round the stage, Max gave the young man a full throttle with his luscious mouth until squirts of the boy’s liquid honey coated the German’s face, hand and lips. He lapped and drank and was still hungry for more. A matter of so many dicks and so little time, Max went to town sucking and supping to his heart’s content.
The German shot me the occasional glance to get my reaction. Impassivity stared back at him. Although I was entranced by these sleazy performances, I found them deeply lacking in intimacy, even though I did not tell my companion at the time. In my heart, I knew that this man was not an appropriate candidate for a long-term relationship but an ideal contender for a holiday fling. Since I was on vacation, I went with the flow.
The show’s finale came in the form of a minotaur-looking herculean. He appeared on stage seeking his prey, who happened to be a guy from the audience. The ‘bull’ picked up his exploit by the shirt collar before stripping the man bare. He threw him onto the ground and molested his compliant victim in every conceivable and unconceivable sexual position known and unknown to humankind. From ‘spinning helicopter,’ to hanging from bars on the ceiling, to being lifted upside down on a wall before finally betiding the man backwards on ropes, their coition was like watching a fantasy erotic Cirque du Soleil performance.
That was my third ‘Bang-cock’ evening spent with the German.
1968
Sex
Since Mario’s arrival in London, Tad and the Italian had formed an unbreakable bond, a bromance, so to speak. Although both men had met at various social functions and knew one another, they had not formed a friendship until then. The two took to each other like fish to water. Since they shared similar predilections in all things ecstatic and pleasing to the eyes, plus an extroverted savoir vivre to the company of the fashionable set, they became inseparable. I had become second fiddle within their newfound comradeship.
This unexpected revelation provided me time to strategize for the correct moment to break my repudiation with the Arab athlete without hurting the man’s feelings.
The morning after our meeting with the Indian movie moguls, Señor Victor Angel Triqueros inquired of me, “Young, have you further news from your Hungarian admirer?”
“You mean Ivan?” I replied.
“The one and the same,” Victor poached wittily.
“I haven’t,” came my answer.
“You are already aware of the differences between sex and love, aren’t you? Just to be sure you understand your E.R.O.S. role within a larger framework,” my professor hinted just when Lilee and Leon entered.
Changing the topic, the Señor announced, “Today’s lesson is on Sex
and Love.”
Both students sniggered, when Victor pointed to Leon and said, “Young man, tell me your definition of sex.”
Caught off guard, the boy muttered, “Sex is a motivational force that brings two people into intimate contact.”
Our teacher spurred, “And?”
Lilee chirped, “And, a satisfying sexual experience is an essential part of a healthy and enjoyable life.”
“Very good, Lilee,” Victor exclaimed before he added, “The sexual cycle consists of three phases: Desire, arousal (excitement), and orgasm.
“However, adult sexuality has seven components: gender identity, orientation, intention (what one wants to do with a partner’s body and have done with one’s body during sexual behavior), desire, arousal, orgasm, and emotional satisfaction.
“The first three components constitute our sexual identity; the second three compose our sexual function, and the seventh is based on our personal reflection on the first six. Therefore, sexual function is the physiological capacity to experience desire, arousal, and orgasm.”
“Doesn’t that make sex a biological phenomenon?” I asked.
“That’s correct, Young. That said, sex also needs to be understood from a spiritual perspective. Can any one of you tell me what love is?”
None of us spoke.
The Señor explained, “Contrary to widely accepted elucidations of love, love is within our intrinsic nature and does not need to be cultivated. For love’s manifestation to happen, artificial barriers have to be removed.
“Unbridled love is found in all creatures big and small, in all flora and fauna, and in humans who have no organized religion or culture.”
The female questioned, “Why is it that the more civilized we are, the further we stray from love?”