How is the life of a naturist nudist in India?
Although naturims has been there since a very long time, it is comparatively fresh concept in India. It is the practice of social nudism for a variety of reasons. One can practice nudism because inherently they feel comfortable being bare bodied or do it because of a wide range of philosophical reasons. One of which is being close to nature.
Naturists are social nudists in a non sexual way. They do not want to be nude for any reasons apart from the fact that they feel most comfortable being nude.
On my all-India cycle tour, I had the privilege of meeting Mr Vikram who is a Naturist living in Colva, Goa. It all started when I sent a request to Mr Vikram over a platform called couchsurfing which most travellers use to find a stay at a hosts house during their travel. When I sent out a request to Vikram, I didn’t know he had a set of rules to be followed in order to reside at his house. On reading his profile, I figured the ways and thought I should give it a try.
Interacting with him nude, I got to learn about the lifestyle and the psyche that goes into social nudity as a lifestyle.
So, how is the life of a naturist nudist in India?
Lifestyle of a Naturist nudist in India
The place I was offered to stay at for a couple of days was Vikram’s second house at an apartments called Palm Crest Holiday Homes. He had this purchased for himself and used to live here briefly. As the house key was kept under the door mat, I came over in the morning after my ride from the previous place of stay at Goa and got myself tidied up.
It was only later in the evening that Mr Vikram showed up at the house. He was a calm and smiling character with a wonderful aura around him. He greeted me and asked me if he could change. He just went straight to the washroom and had his clothes taken off when he was out. It didn’t seem too uncomfortable for him. As I knew what the rules of the house were and that I had voluntarily chosen to do this, I followed the same as well.
Surprisingly, It didn’t seem too awkward hanging around him that way. He was welcoming and the kind aura around him really helped.
Vikram was a man of few words though. He asked me about my journey, what my plans were and stopped there. I had a list of questions to ask to which he would reply in a sentence or two. At the end of the discussion, however, I was able to understand a thing or two about him.
Vikram lived alone as he was divorced and didn’t have kids. He was into real estate management in Goa and seemed to be a slightly busy man as I could see him take a couple of calls discussing about his business. He was fairly wealthy which I could tell from the fact that he had purchased a flat at Holiday Homes just to have it for holidays and visitors. His house was speckle free. Everything tidily arranged. Things kept in place like a perfectionist would. As we spoke, he asked me to go ahead and pour a couple of drinks that was kept on the table if I wished. We sat there drinking as the discussion proceeded.
Psychology a Naturist nudist in India
Mostly when my questions were centered on Naturism, Vikram would seem disinterested. Atleast that’s what I felt. All my questions were subtle and indirect ofcourse. But he seemed to be picking that.
I felt as though I was speaking with a rich man who was disinterested in the interests of a person with lack of exposure. I could understand his feelings somewhere. I have several times in my journey noticed how people with lack of awareness ask lame questions with great inquisitiveness. They just don’t realize that the questions are lame. It is not their fault. I had a similar feeling of being on the lame side this time. Vikram was humble enough to not seem irritated. He seemed disinterested however.
He nicely summarized it by saying “To each man his own”. He said I cycle because I like it, somebody else may like being nude. It was as simple as that.
I had one pressing question however, which was to know if his way of life was influenced by his learnings or it was his psychology. Vikram said that it was definitely his psychology. He said he didn’t seem to know about Naturism at first. Only with time he realized there were people like him who felt comfortable being nude. It was not a philosophy that nudism is better is what led him to Naturism, it was his instincts that led him there.
Vikram, however, seemed interested in speaking about sexual life. He asked me if I never felt like going out in the nude to the beach. He also asked me how many times I masturbate and questions concerning my sexual life. He was equally open to it from his side saying what was happening on his side. He didn’t seem uncomfortable asking them to me. Strangely I didn’t seem uncomfortable speaking with him too. Probably it was the way he had made me feel comfortable.
Now that we had covered most vague topics, in the interest of understanding his psyche, I requested him if I could ask him a couple of questions. He replied saying “You can ask me, let me see if I wish to answer them”. On hearing the questions, I could see for the first time, Vikram was gleaming with excitement while answering them. I was glad he enjoyed answering my questions. I got to learn immensely from them.
Justifications
I noticed Vikram was well off at the age of 47. I asked him why he had to work. He could have easily taken a retirement and settled down if he wished. What was his justification for working.
Vikram said he had though about this earlier. He said he knows most rich men who took voluntary retirement from work early and start playing golf and enjoying their lives. That however did not last for more than a couple of years. He said one starts feeling bored. What he said next is something I will carry forward for the rest of my life. He said when one gets rich, they start deriving pleasure from work. As there is no pressure of working, how things pan out is immaterial. One just works to enjoy work.
Validations
I asked Vikram if he never felt lonely. In my journey I had come across one another person who wasn’t married and felt lonely (read this article). Vikram said he doesn’t feel so. He said he was brought up in a family where his dad was the one who took all the control. Whatever he said was full and final. That had sort of influenced him in someway. He said he knew to take all the decisions himself and he didn’t need them to be validated. Be it through family or friends. He said he didn’t have too many friends and he didn’t need them. He took the analogy of western countries where people are mostly independent. It seemed like Vikram had westernised opinions on this front.
I also asked him if people around him feel bad or disrespect him for his tendencies to go nude at home and in public. He said those who have to will. It was not his business to bother much about others.
I figured that he is definitely not a man seeking any sort of validations.
Complaints
Vikram said he had no complaints in life. Period.
Materialism
I asked him what he would do if he acquired all the wealth in the world. Vikram siad he would rather not want to answer that at first. Then he thought through and told me that he will have the majority of it given away as charity as he doesn’t really need it. He said that would be his general answer.
Vikram definitely seemed like an interesting person to speak with. I asked him what are some of the biggest influences in his life. He quoted two books by Any Rand. Atlas shrugged and fountain head. He strongly suggested that I read it and said that it would flip my mind inside out.
After I said I was done with the questions, Vikram simply nodded, got up, went and put on his clothes. He said it was a pleasure meeting me and left with a bright smile on his face.
I am a 31 year young PhD graduate who has decided to travel the length and breadth of India on my cycle, to document the journey of meeting a vast array of people. In my journey, I intend to understand the characteristic features of the people of this nation and categorize them based on their demographics, age, profession, gender, traditions, and cultural differences.
This was a totally unexpected read. Loved Vikram’s take on work becoming pleasure when one is rich. A valuable lesson indeed. Seemed like a very stoic person as I was expecting him to talk a lot about nudism but it was not the case. Core memory experience for you i guess. Simply amazing.
This was a totally unexpected read. Loved Vikram’s take on work becoming pleasure when one is rich. A valuable lesson indeed. Seemed like a very stoic person as I was expecting him to talk a lot about nudism but it was not the case. Core memory experience for you i guess. Simply amazing.