Yes, the original headline said “Indian” conservatives; but, is there really any difference between conservatives in India and the U.S., Pakistan and Poland – when the topic is sex?

Should a 15-year-old Indian student be permitted to look at anatomical drawings that illustrate how an adolescent’s body develops into an adult form?

This simple question stands at the heart of an uneasy debate over Indian values, contemporary morality and the best way to educate modern teenagers in the facts of life.

Outrage, mainly among rightist parties, which often promote themselves as defenders of an ill-defined notion of “Indian morality,” was prompted primarily by a flip-chart of illustrations for use by teachers as they summarized the physical changes experienced by teenagers during puberty.

Sujatha Rao said conservative groups across the country were being unrealistic about swiftly changing attitudes to sex among a new generation of Indian teenagers and were clinging stubbornly to an outmoded vision of the country’s youth.

“I have a feeling that the conservative elements in our society are unable to cope with these dynamic changes that are taking place. There is a fear that this area was once under their control and is now spiraling out of their control.”

As often as conservatives prate about liberty and individual freedom, limiting what people can learn, what knowledge is accessible, seems to be the prime plank in conservative social policy.