When TARSHI (tarshi.net) began with a helpline in 1996, the conversation around sexuality in India rarely centred pleasure and wellbeing. Thirty years on, much to our joy, conversations around pleasure, wellbeing, diversity, and rights are far more widespread and visible. And yet, we also see that this hasn’t always translated into safety, agency, and access. Of course, change isn’t linear – access to information may grow and language may become inclusive, even while stigma doggedly persists.
For TARSHI, this has meant balancing a bold vision – of a world where all people have the right to sexual wellbeing and to a self-affirming and enjoyable sexuality – with deliberation, care and an eye to the future. Across 30 years, our work has grown, shape-shifted, and evolved. TARSHI’s first programme, the telephone helpline, ran from 1996 to 2009 and responded to more than 60,000 calls. Our helpline learnings about the lack of accurate, non-judgmental information on sexuality led us to develop trainings, books, and later, online resources. Now we’re trying to understand how to help people navigate the deluge of (mis)information online! From our early days, we also learnt the value of setting up organisational systems to prevent staff burnout and to manage our wellbeing, and today we take these learnings to more organisations in the social impact sector.
As we complete 30 years in the field, we see our relevance in today’s world as an ecosystem enabler. For us, this means bringing sexuality and wellbeing perspectives into diverse areas of the social impact space, expanding language justice in sexuality and wellbeing work, and integrating wellbeing into social impact workplaces. And reminding ourselves and other organisations to centre pleasure and joy, even when working circumstances become challenging.
Your contribution will help us in our overall activities and upcoming plans, including:
Subsidising trainings and online courses on SRRH, CSE and staff wellbeing for social impact organisations
Developing and translating essential and rights-based content in Hindi on sexuality and wellbeing
Updating our much-loved books on sexuality education such as The Yellow Book for parents
TARSHI (Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues) is an NGO based in New Delhi, India. We believe that all people have the right to sexual wellbeing and to a self-affirming and enjoyable sexuality. Learn more about our work at tarshi.net/our-work.
