Rewriting the Language of Pleasure in India | Tanisha RK

In this bold and deeply intimate episode of the Sexuality and Identity podcast hosted by Shireen Ashton, we dive into a riveting conversation with Tanisha RK, the co-founder of Sangya—a pioneering platform that is revolutionizing the dialogue around sex, pleasure, and sex education in India.

The story of Sangya, as Tanisha shares, is not just one of a startup selling pleasure products, but a larger cultural project reclaiming the personal and political space around sexuality. What began as an Instagram page offering thoughtful, adult-centric sex education gradually evolved into a dynamic brand manufacturing India’s first vibrator, curated lube collections, and body-positive pleasure products made with Indian users in mind. But at its core, Sangya has always been about community.

Tanisha RK’s journey started with recognizing the limitations of school-based sex education in India. The absence of a national curriculum, coupled with varying degrees of parental and institutional censorship, made meaningful engagement with young people challenging. So instead of speaking to children, Tanisha decided to speak with adults—parents, siblings, teachers—so that the knowledge could trickle down through everyday, trusted spaces. Instagram became the launchpad, not only because of its reach but also for its relatively manageable censorship climate at the time. But soon, the followers became contributors. Stories flooded in—on trauma, rediscovered intimacy, kink, medical concerns, and more. What Tanisha and her team created was not merely a brand, but a sanctuary of shared voices.

One of the most powerful threads in the conversation revolves around how Sangya refuses to present itself as the singular authority on pleasure. Instead, it insists on being a co-learner with its community. Whether it’s confronting the aftermath of sexual trauma or navigating erectile dysfunction with tenderness and grace, Tanisha underscores the need for trust, vulnerability, and continuous dialogue. A beautiful anecdote about a man who turned a moment of erectile dysfunction into a tender, connective experience exemplifies the kind of emotional intelligence Sangya tries to normalize.

Sangya’s innovation lies not only in its openness but also in its product design. From the awkward misfit of an oversized, imported strap-on to the painstaking development of India-specific, body-conscious products, every product stems from direct consumer feedback. One especially telling moment in the episode is when Tanisha recalls being approached at a public event by someone eager to give in-depth feedback on their dildo, offering insight before even introducing themselves. These candid exchanges not only fuel product innovation but also reveal a hunger for dialogue, free of shame, judgment, or awkwardness.

However, with the boldness of this work comes the inevitable friction with digital censorship. Meta platforms like Instagram increasingly shadow-ban or remove content with sexual terminology, even when the context is educational or advocacy-driven. Tanisha explains the ever-tightening noose of algorithmic policing, where even the use of symbols and deliberate typos to bypass filters no longer guarantees visibility. Despite this, the community’s resilience—and their insistence that these conversations matter—helps Sangya challenge the censorship and imagine more sustainable, decentralized futures, such as archiving content offline or translating it into regional languages for greater reach.

Looking ahead, Sangya’s focus is crystal clear: accessibility. The team is exploring remote-controlled toys for those with mobility challenges, oil- and silicone-based lubes for different preferences and medical needs, and multilingual content so that sexual wellness is not limited by language or geography.

This episode is more than an interview—it’s a call to reimagine how India talks about pleasure. It’s about rejecting shame and perfectionism, and replacing them with care, honesty, and collective wisdom. It’s about the democratization of sex education and the power of building trust through story-sharing.

As Shireen signs off, the lasting sentiment is this: we’re all just human—sometimes messy, sometimes unsure—but always deserving of safe, respectful, and joyful intimacy.

Produced by Global Indian Series for the Global Indian Network.

Script by Rajan Nazran
original idea: Rajan Nazran
Podcast Host: Shireen Ashton

Introduction music: (Sound Title) – by Steven F Allen
https://freesound.org/people/audiomirage/
https://soundclick.com/AuDioChosisStevenFAllenAuDioMiRage