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Nearly five years after his passing, Dr. Mahinder Watsa (11 February 1924 – 28 December 2020) is still fondly remembered by Indians, mainly because of his witty and soulful remarks to the queries he received from his readers for the column Ask the Sexpert.
His never-ending quirky remarks, where he educated readers in a light manner while maintaining the decorum necessary for an Indian audience, kept the popularity of his column very high. He managed to gain a devoted readership through these witty responses, especially after Ask the Sexpert launched.
Dr. Mahinder Watsa was an Indian sexologist known for his columns on sex education in newspapers and magazines. His contributions to promoting sex education in India earned him the 2014 Dr. Ved Vyas Puri Award.
He was born in Kolkata to a military physician and spent his childhood across India.
He completed his MBBS at Grant Medical College, Mumbai. He met his wife, Promila, through family friends with whom he stayed during his college years in Mumbai. After marriage, they relocated to the United Kingdom, where he served as a hospital houseman and registrar in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
They were married for 52 years and had a son.
They spent a few years in the UK before returning to India when his father fell ill. He initially started working with a pharmaceutical company and held a private practice where he worked as a gynecologist. His wife later passed away in 2006.
A key moment in his practice came when he attended a Congress of Planned Parenthood in 1957. He met a Japanese doctor who shared how he had helped teenage girls from committing suicide after becoming pregnant. He helped them avoid unwanted pregnancies by providing abortion services.
That experience sparked his lifelong commitment to health education.
Dr. Mahinder Watsa was first asked to write a Dear Doctor column back in 1956 by a women's magazine, Trend (later Femina), through a journalist connected via his sister-in-law, to give medical advice. He initially looked for someone with better experience but couldn’t find anyone. Finally, he agreed to do it.
By the 1970s, he was contributing to several more publications, answering health-related queries. At the time, he wrote columns for magazines like Trend, Femina, and Flair. Initially, the queries were about home remedies for various viral infections and seasonal diseases. But soon, women started sending questions about premarital sexual relationships, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and broken hymens before marriage.
He soon realized the importance of taking up sex education in India.
But he felt restricted in these publications. Despite a large number of queries being about sexual health, the publications refused to respond to those, and he was asked to address only questions about general health.
He would hide small pieces of information about sexual queries, and some editors would turn a blind eye.
But soon, he discontinued these columns and started replying to questions on websites.
At the age of 80, his most popular column, Ask the Sexpert, in the Mumbai Mirror was launched and became a cult favorite overnight.
His columns also became quite popular mainly because there was no sex education in India back then—and even now. Some readers found genuine advice and solutions through his column.
So it was quite a learning moment for many Indian households, and Dr. Watsa never missed a beat when he replied.
For example:
Q. Is it safe if penis is kept in the vagina when sleeping?
A. Usually when the penis returns to a flaccid state, it will slide out of the vagina. Even if it does not, rest assured the vagina will not have it for breakfast.
Q. I have a small penis, and I can't seem to satisfy my girlfriend. My astrologer has advised me to pull it every day for 15 minutes while reciting a shloka [prayer]. I have been doing this for a month, but it hasn't helped. What should I do?
A. If he was right, most men would have a penis hitting their knees. God doesn't help gullible, foolish men. Go visit a sexpert instead who can teach you the art of making love.
Q. If a man and a woman masturbate at the same time, thinking about sex, will that lead to pregnancy?
A. There are no angels to carry your sperms to the person you are dreaming about. Fantasy gives you enjoyment but does nothing more.
Q. I am a 32-year-old happily married man. Recently, I’ve been having mixed feelings about cheating on my wife. I have a goat; her name was Ramila. Over the past two months, I have been thinking about how it would feel to make love to her. Is this normal? Will I contract a goat-related STD? Please help!
A. Ask Ramila whether she would like it! Bestiality is not considered normal and it is illegal.
In 1974, while working as a consultant to the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI), Dr. Mahinder Watsa successfully advocated for the country’s first sexual counseling and education center. Despite resistance from conservative and even medical circles who thought it unscientific, the initiative gained acceptance and later acclaim. Reactions evolved from ridicule to enthusiastic participation.
Sex education was a taboo in India back then. Later, AIDS awareness programs made sex education more vocal in India.
Soon, he set out on a lifelong mission to provide sex education to the youth of the country.
Later, Dr. Watsa achieved this mission through his own organization, the Council of Sex Education and Parenthood International (CSEPI). Currently, the organization is affiliated with the World Association for Sexual Health. Over the years, CSEPI has become the foremost sexual health organization in India. He left his practice in the early 1980s to focus on counseling.
He normalized conversations about sex in Indian society, and later, a feature-length documentary titled Ask the Sexpert was released on Netflix in 2017. Filmmaker Vaishali Sinha filmed the sexologist for several years—capturing his journey of imparting sex education and bringing about a change in society. In a recent Bollywood film, Made in China, actor Boman Irani portrayed the role of a sexologist facing the issue of acceptance in the country. Boman Irani reportedly stayed with Dr. Watsa for several days to study for this role.
He lived in Mumbai in his last years and passed away at the age of 96. He never retired and replied to almost 60 queries every day and did counseling for at least 3 or 4 people.
Dr. Watsa’s legacy is deeply felt by colleagues and students alike. Dr. Shirish Malde, MD, FCSEPI, and Diplomate of the American Board of Sexology, reflected on his centenary year in 2023:
As Dr. Mahinder C. Watsa is completing 99 years and enters his centenary year today, I’m finding it difficult to express my feelings. A lot has been said about him while reading his biography yesterday. I would just say that he is always with us—from a young medical graduate at 25 till today. No one is a better natural motivator than him. He himself demonstrated the magnanimity to dissipate knowledge and the enthusiasm to learn at any stage of life. A tribute to a legend, a pioneer, and above all, a very fine, pure soul.
Dr. Shirish Malde, MD, FCSEPI, Diplomate of American Board Of Sexology
Dr. Watsa’s work not only educated generations but also challenged deeply entrenched stigmas, making him one of India’s most respected voices in sexual and reproductive health.
In a country where silence around sex education once prevailed, Dr. Mahinder Watsa gave voice, humor, and dignity to an essential conversation, and for that, he remains irreplaceable.
References:
“Best Responses by Sexpert Dr Mahinder Watsa,” Mumbai Mirror, January 8, 2021, https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/best‑responses‑by‑sexpert‑dr‑mahinder‑watsa/articleshow/80089628.cms.
“Ask the Sexpert: From unprotected sex to homosexuality, Dr Mahinder Watsa is here to answer your queries,” Mumbai Mirror, December 29, 2020, https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/ask‑the‑sexpert‑from‑unprotected‑sex‑to‑homosexuality‑dr‑mahinder‑watsa‑is‑here‑to‑answer‑your‑queries/articleshow/79973591.cms.
Pathak, Sushmita. “A 94-Year-Old ‘Sexpert’ Gives India Advice On You Know What.” NPR, August 18, 2018.
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/18/638288529/a-94-year-old-sexpert-gives-india-advice-on-you-know-what
Mishra, Stuti. “Dr Mahinder Watsa Death: India’s Most Famous ‘Sexpert’ Dies Aged 96.” The Independent, December 28, 2020.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dr-mahinder-watsa-death-cause-sexpert-b1779805.html
“Man Behind ‘Ask The Sexpert’ Dr Mahinder Watsa Passes Away, 96.” The News Minute, December 28, 2020.
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/man-behind-ask-sexpert-dr-mahinder-watsa-passes-away-96-140676
Sahay, Shalini. “Rest in Peace ‘Sex the Rapist’ or the ‘Sex Therapist’: You Will Be Missed, Sir.” National Herald India, January 3, 2021.
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/obituary/rest-in-peace-sex-the-rapist-or-the-sex-therapist-you-will-be-missed-sir
Sharma, Unnati. “Dr Mahinder Watsa — the Man Who Brought Sex Education to the Discussion Table in India.” ThePrint, December 28, 2020.
https://theprint.in/india/dr-mahinder-watsa-the-man-who-brought-sex-education-to-the-discussion-table-in-india/573209/
By Dr. Theresa Lily Thomas
MSM
