One of the things that excites me in SL is the representation of other cultures, as I don’t like the idea of it being monocultural.

It was therefore exciting to read of a sim, new to me, called Shakti Gardens. Nudity is allowed, but not for the usual reasons that we would embrace a sim, describing itself as offering traditional beauty of India – from sensual Apsara Temples to Tantric temples. Discover the land of Tantra, Kama Sutra, Hinduism, enjoy freedom to celebrate your sexuality/sensuality. Desi girls RP nude beach, *Mama Allpa* BDSM.

Theres quite a number of words in there that would normally place it well beyond the bounds of the type of location that SLN normally regards as naturist, but as somewhere with a different cultural perspective, I thought it was worth visiting, at the very least.

A few reservations aside, based on the descriptive words mentioned above, it’s a rather lovely sim.

Yes, there’s a bit more of emphasis on the side of the sensual/sexual side of India’s history (the Kama Sutra, etc), a time when the carnal was revered. So it’s quite acceptable that an Indian-themed sim plugs into this aspect of Indian life, even if it’s not ‘front and centre’ of Indian life anymore and the country has, on the surface at least, become more conservative and chaste.

Despite this ‘chaste’ aspect, and the lack of nudity in Indian society as a thing, nudity becomes much more prevalent at times of worship, when dress codes become more relaxed in the context of praying (see the gallery above). It seems quite acceptable to be a little more naked, in the context of prayer, or worship, than it does in normal Indian society.

This has been something I’ve tried to cover on numerous occasions in the context of SLN, and always failed. I just couldn’t get a handle on it.

So, source it to those who know. A couple of blog posts are in the offing, written by an Indian avatar, who will try to get a grip on what I’ve failed to do over five years or more. Stay tuned for this one. They’re remarkable pieces of writing about a complex area of Asian life.

Ella