friendship

In Appreciation of Singlehood
A photograph of a woman facing a water body lined with blades of grass. The sky is tinged with orange and blue.
In Appreciation of Singlehood

Growing up, for me, has been about accepting that the loneliness and sadness woven into the fabric of my being do not go away with entering conventional arrangements like monogamous relationships or marriage.
By Siddhi Pandey
February 1, 2021
In Appreciation of Singlehood
How much support is enough?
A photograph of two individual’s hands, from their forearms. One of the individuals is clasping the others’ hand in theirs.
How much support is enough?

In the middle of this pandemic, can one seek sexual support in the form of a hook up with one’s best friend, ‘just because’? Is it redefining boundaries, is it sympathy sex, is it simple indulgence, or is it something that one or both might later resent?
By Asmi
November 2, 2020
How much support is enough?
HOW I LEARNED THAT I DESERVE TO LOVE MYSELF
A pattern of many illustrated flowers interwoven together
HOW I LEARNED THAT I DESERVE TO LOVE MYSELF

“I feel comfortable with who I am,” he responded. “I’m at ease with myself. I don’t wake up and hate myself. I can’t tell you how amazing that feels.”

“I know how that feels,” I told him.
By Guest Writer
January 4, 2021
HOW I LEARNED THAT I DESERVE TO LOVE MYSELF
Having a Tea with You
Two glasses of chai with rusk/dry biscuits to share
Having a Tea with You

On calls your voice greets me, balm to the parched everything.
By Carol D'Souza
October 15, 2025
Having a Tea with You
Friendships, or, That in which we decouple coupledom from the economies of marriage
An abstract image of colourful silhouettes of multiple dancing people with squiggly lines around them
Friendships, or, That in which we decouple coupledom from the economies of marriage

I was not simply stuck within the binaries of “same-sex” or “opposite sex,” assuming that any reference to “same-sex” is in itself already revolutionary. But the call to recognise friendship, is a call to recognise so many forms of community that are made invisible by the emphasis within a liberal or conservative framework on “marriage” as the only path to family making.
By Shweta Krishnan
January 11, 2024
Friendships, or, That in which we decouple coupledom from the economies of marriage
Friendships, or, That in which we decouple coupledom from the economies of marriage
An abstract image of colourful silhouettes of multiple dancing people with squiggly lines around them
Friendships, or, That in which we decouple coupledom from the economies of marriage

I was not simply stuck within the binaries of “same-sex” or “opposite sex,” assuming that any reference to “same-sex” is in itself already revolutionary. But the call to recognise friendship, is a call to recognise so many forms of community that are made invisible by the emphasis within a liberal or conservative framework on “marriage” as the only path to family making.
By Shweta Krishnan
February 1, 2022
Friendships, or, That in which we decouple coupledom from the economies of marriage
Friendship, Sexuality and the Auden Group
Friendship, Sexuality and the Auden Group
Friendship, Sexuality and the Auden Group

Friendship has always remained a thinly coded term for same-sex love within queer discourses, and early writings in favour of…
By Kaustav Bakshi
February 15, 2018
Friendship, Sexuality and the Auden Group
Friends of Paper, Friends of Flesh
assorted books stacked together
Friends of Paper, Friends of Flesh

That’s what books do, they open up the world to new possibilities, let you live a life bigger than your own.
By Ambica Naithani
November 17, 2025
Friends of Paper, Friends of Flesh
Editorial– Friendship and Sexuality
An illustration that plays on the word solidarity with different cups holding hands
Editorial– Friendship and Sexuality

Friendship – a place where we can be ourselves as we truly are, with no artifice. A place of peace,…
By TARSHI
November 17, 2025
Editorial– Friendship and Sexuality
Editorial: Support Systems and Sexuality
On a jute-textured background, hand-prints in different colours form the leaves of a tree, the trunk and branches of which are a hand-print.
Editorial: Support Systems and Sexuality

Connection is essential for our survival – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. We connect with people, form networks of care and support, and in a sense weave webs of safety and comfort that we can turn to when stressed or simply want to infuse a dose of joy into our day.

By TARSHI
November 16, 2020
Editorial: Support Systems and Sexuality
Editorial: Singlehood and Sexuality
A small bird fluttering around a branch with orange berries, picking at one
Editorial: Singlehood and Sexuality

In this issue of In Plainspeak our contributors reflect on and reveal the myriad facets of being single – is it a choice? A condition? A state of being? Lonely? Joyful? Not one or the other, but a glorious mix?
By TARSHI
February 15, 2021
Editorial: Singlehood and Sexuality
Editorial: Friendship and Sexuality
Editorial: Friendship and Sexuality

The statement “We are just friends”, does it make you wonder? Just friends? As in – merely friends? As in…
By TARSHI
February 15, 2018
Editorial: Friendship and Sexuality
Editorial: Anthology Issue – Wellbeing and Sexuality
A yellow and blue gradient close-up photograph of a water droplet creating ripples
Editorial: Anthology Issue – Wellbeing and Sexuality

Happy New Year! As 2021 begins and we are filled with a sense of hope and desire for better times, we resolve to find ways of sustaining ourselves while caring for others. And so, in this anthology issue we republish articles about wellbeing.

By TARSHI
January 4, 2021
Editorial: Anthology Issue – Wellbeing and Sexuality
Editorial: Ageing and Sexuality
A photograph of a lush oak tree, its branches sprawling across a field of green.
Editorial: Ageing and Sexuality

Ageing is often associated with a loss, a lack of ability and strength. When combined with sexuality, in the popular imagination, fed especially by market forces, youth is to be lauded and ageing regarded as the impending horror that must be evaded for as long as possible.
By TARSHI
March 15, 2021
Editorial: Ageing and Sexuality
Editorial – Sexuality and SISA Spaces
Close-up of a sunflower field and the sun rising over hills in the background.
Editorial – Sexuality and SISA Spaces

We envision SISA spaces as non-judgmental, inclusive, rights-based and affirming spaces wherein people’s sexuality, their identities, wellbeing, choices, desires and pleasure are respected.
By TARSHI
January 3, 2022
Editorial – Sexuality and SISA Spaces
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