Should nudity be legalised in India? The obvious answer will be 'duh, no!' This question arises from the topic of public breastfeeding, which I came across while reading about a campaign on the other side of the globe that got me thinking about India.

The straight negative answer emerges from the Indian context - how we exist in the current day and age vis-a-vis the biological form, how we look at the human body, how we shame or worship the flesh. If you visit a credible travel site or an embassy advisory page for foreign travellers to India, wearing skin-revealing clothes falls under the 'DON'Ts' section.

Currently nudity comes under Section 294 (drafted in the year 1860) of the IPC but is not clearly defined as illegal. Although it is presumed to fall under "obscene act" and is punishable by law with three months or fine or both, depending on the act. Nudity at the Kumbh Mela with hundreds of naked Naga sadhus doesn't fall under either 'obscenity' or 'nudity'. Odd isn't it?