A chronicle of the 1st Indian Nudists Seminar INUDES 2014

The 1st Indian Nudists Seminar INUDES 2014 was held on and from the 1st to 3rd of March, 2014 in Satpada, Odisha. 20 participants from 7 states and union territories of India have participated in the seminar. There were 17 men and 3 women in total. Among the participants, there were 4 couples altogether, 3 heterosexual and 1 gay, and the rest were single men. The indoor sessions were held in the seminar room of the guest house we put up in. In the inaugural session we have set the ground rules clear with discussion of the nudist etiquettes. Then we started the session with a nudist theme instrumental music and then self introduced ourselves alongwith a game of shedding one piece of clothings with each information. Then we went into the topics of discussion. History of nudism in India was discussed in great length. It included ancient history as well as the history in last century. We discussed evidence of nudism present in Purana literature also. It was seen that like any topic in India, nudism also, where linked with religion and seen as a symbol of sacrifice, was generally accepted by the people; and intolerance towards it is definitely a very recent phenomenon. We then discussed about nudism in India of today, and the threats against it. It was understood that unless sexual threat, real or imaginary, is perceived, casual nudity is not a big deal to Indian people still now. We then promised to promote nudism in India by our tiny means, and form a national nudist forum, and decided to gradually transform it into a nudist federation of India. We also decided to observe 2nd March each year as national nudist day, and decided to observe it in every corner in the country. We could not discuss all the topics we contemplated, but we discussed nudism and spirituality, in perspective of various religions; participation of womenfolk, and the cause of low participation of them, in nudism in India. We discussed nudist scenario in the world, shared nudist experiences of different participants and had lecture, papers and presentations including slide and video shows of different nudist experiences by participants. Participants have taken serious notes and also expressed their views sincerely. In between the sessions, we had short breaks with nude exercise and yoga, nude tea and snacks etc. The next day was outdoor session. We had nude sea-bathing in an isolated beach in an island, nude hiking, nude snacks with hard and soft drinks, nude sand sculpture (of a nude man), nude dance, vocal and instrumental music in nude, nude body painting etc. During the return journey, some were nude in the boat also. During post dinner hours, we had nude indoor games, nude dares on the terrace, balcony and garden and even on the streets at late night. Some had nude bathing sessions in the ponds and photo sessions in the open air, too, during day time even. We concluded to hold national seminars regularly.