The world of Hindi erotica runs much deeper than Savita bhabhi
It’s sensual, it’s raunchy and it has a sense of humour
“Yoga se hi hoga.” No, it’s not the title of guided vinyasa yoga for weight loss, but that of an episode in an erotic podcast series called Lust Birds with Rhea that I discovered, courtesy of my job. During a work meeting in the office on a perfectly regular Tuesday, a conversation about women and self-pleasure landed us straight on the plateau of Hindi erotic podcasts. Our fingers brushed the mouse pad, swiftly moving from one episode to another, trying to make sense of this wild terrain. Within five minutes, we had successfully scandalised the accounts department with Rhea’s heavy moaning sounds and sensual voices inching towards the big O.
Though we were laughing, unable to fathom what we had just encountered, it piqued my curiosity. How had someone managed to marry yoga with sex and that too with two female protagonists in Hindi erotica? It was like listening to a smutty audiobook with flirty innuendos and a storyline that wasn’t the least bit offensive. I decided to explore this world which turned out to be nothing like I expected.
Why Hindi erotica seems icky
I discovered video porn fairly late. Not because I didn’t know about it, but because the overly graphic visuals of the X-rated websites felt disturbing. So I maintained my distance. What I didn’t know then is that experiencing pleasure as a woman is as complex as a spider’s web. Not only does arousal take longer, but all senses need to be engaged for us to reach that earth-shattering climax everyone keeps talking about. And that kind of content isn’t always tailored for the female gaze.
It was erotic audio and literature that introduced me to the realm of consensual desire and self-pleasure. These mediums enabled me to control the pace without sensory overload and allowed my imagination to run wild. I had always consumed these stories in English and Hindi erotica was never even an option I considered; mostly because of my preconceived notions and the audience I associated with it. An annual study released by Pornhub in 2017 listed ‘Indian Bhabhi’ and ‘Indian aunty’ among the most searched terms. While each to their own fetish, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Call it social conditioning, but the thought of the audience consuming Hindi porn around aunties and bhabhis made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe. It simply felt too ashleel (obscene) in my head to consider it as a tool for self-pleasure.
Secondly, the thought of Hindi erotica always evoked a feeling of voyeuristically staring into my neighbour’s bedroom that gave me an immediate ‘ick.’ Lucknow-based clinical psychologist and relationship therapist Prachi S Vaish explains that this comes from our inherent conditioning around sex. “It’s why we don’t have mental blueprints of Indian bodies. English films always had sex scenes and every teenager with raging hormones had their first exposure to anything erotic with Caucasians. So we became comfortable with watching Caucasian bodies engage in sexual acts, and experiencing our emotions of excitement through them. Whereas Indian bodies are always something to hide so when we watch it onscreen, we experience the encoded emotion of shame and secrecy that makes us uncomfortable,” says Vaish.
Diving into the world of Hindi erotica
Because of these inherent biases, it never occurred to me that there could be a whole world of nuanced Hindi erotic podcasts. And if you thought English erotica was direct, well, let’s just say Hindi doesn’t beat around the bush either. Even with brief 12-15 minute episodes, the shows set the context, introduce characters and find a smooth segue for the temperatures to soar. Listening to the first couple of episodes was strange, I felt like I was listening to a private tape. In fact, the very first episode I listened to was during a long commute while stuck in rush hour traffic. I kept checking if my AirPods were connected properly, paranoid that I was accidentally going to scandalise the cab driver with audio porn. There was a certain thrill in discreetly listening to an erotic podcast while the world around me went about its way, completely unaware of the sweet whispers in my ear.
Over the next couple of days, I explored other podcasts. While some used euphemisms to refer to genitals, which felt like listening to the Hindi version of Mills and Boons, others used the slang alternatives, which was a bit too much for my taste. Some stories made me laugh out loud and I stuck with some out of fascination to know where they led. One of the main differences I observed was that English audio erotica often doesn’t set context to the scene. It goes straight to the acts and sounds, describing it in great detail, no doubt. But I love some world-building and storytelling. Contextless erotica feels like you’re watching Gadar 2 post-interval with no idea of what happened in Gadar.
I had unlocked a new world that was all things strange but also seemed to match my needs. Curiosity? Check. A hearty laugh? Check. An easy end-of-day wind-down? Check. My apprehensions about Hindi erotica were gone and I enjoyed the pace and variety of the stories on offer. English will remain my go-to, but I may hit the play button on these lust stories whenever I feel like changing it up a little.
Hindi erotica that you can explore
I unearthed a treasure trove of erotic Hindi podcasts during this hunt, and there are a few of my recommendations. The best part is these podcasts don’t chain you to the privacy of your room, you can also listen to them discreetly on the go with the sole intention of mental pleasure or a good laugh.
Meet-cutes are at the heart of this Gaana.com podcast. The show has 15 episodes of 12-13 minutes that tell the story of Rhea, a housewife with unfulfilled sexual desires. In each episode, Rhea has a lusty rendezvous with a different person in various locations of the building that lands them straight in the bedroom. Her sensual narration is accompanied by the right sound effects without any over-the-top moaning. The storytelling focuses on foreplay and liberally uses euphemisms, so it’s the perfect introduction to this genre.
Who said erotica can’t be romantic? Chuu Ker Mere Tan Ko is a 30-episode series about Vaishali, a young girl who aspires to be a writer and is hoping to secure an internship with her favourite writer, Aditya Raj. At a literature festival, she meets Aditya and all her fantasies, career and otherwise, suddenly start dancing in front of her eyes. Will she be able to fulfil her desires? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out.
Narrated by a female voice, this podcast feels like you’re listening to a smutty audiobook—it has drama, romance and sex. Though it doesn’t describe sexual acts in detail, it does manage to create arousal and leave you wanting for more. You can stream it on Mirchi Plus or Gaana.com.
If bold, raw and rough is your pleasure preference, Personal Experiences, available on Spotify and Audible India, will be the perfect pick for you. With over 20 stand-alone episodes that are between four to 13 minutes long, the series isn’t narrated in a traditional podcast style but feels more like listening to a recorded conversation.
The series spares the euphemisms and favours slang words to refer to genitals and sexual acts. You have the pleasure to start from the very first episode or pick a story that piques your interest.
If you love a good-age difference smut trope, Mere Friend Ki Hot Mom will hit all the right spots. Karan visits his friend Anurag’s house for his birthday and meets his mom Ishika. An instant and mutual attraction between the two begins to heat things up, and culminates at the end of the 25-minute episode.
Narrated by a male voice, it’s a standalone erotic story. Mellow music in the background complements the slow burn that builds as the story progresses. The podcast uses shuddh Hindi that may take some time getting used to, but it can still get you in the mood. You can stream it on Gaana.com.
I Like It Crazy sounds just like a late-night radio show because of its background score and the voice actors who speak in the hushed tone of a radio jockey. Only it’s much raunchier. A series of 10 stand-alone episodes, it explores lusty connections between different people in completely ordinary, everyday situations. It’s narrated in Hinglish, and the language is quite vanilla. The sexual acts aren’t detailed, but the build-up is well described. The podcast creates a sensual atmosphere and can be the perfect foreplay companion for you. You can stream it on Gaana.com.
