Is Bengaluru India’s capital of alternative love?

Bengaluru has never encountered a human interest it could not turn into a community. There are groups for runners, sourdough enthusiasts, amateur astronomers and founders recovering from the emotional consequences of founding. It follows, then, that if you are polyamorous, poly-curious, interested in kink or simply wondering whether monogamy’s terms and conditions deserve a closer read, there is probably a WhatsApp group for that too.

The city’s contribution to modern intimacy may not be sexual liberation so much as giving desire an organisational structure. There are workshops devoted to kink, mixers for people exploring alternative relationships, rope jams (an open social event for shibari and rope bondage)centred on consent and trust, and communities where the complexities of loving more than one person can be discussed without anyone getting scandalised.