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Description
What does a sugar daddy do when he finds himself falling for his 'arrangement'?
In a highly sexualised dating culture, how do Indian men learn and understand non-sexual forms of intimacy and consent?
What happens when a couple in a traditional marriage sets out to open up their relationship?
India's digital revolution, which led to an unprecedented proliferation of apps, created a new and emphatic opening up of traditional ideas of love, sex and relationships. The people you will encounter in Buying Love in India capture precisely this tectonic shift in India's dating scene, frequently felt and whispered about but never presented in narrative form.
Drawn from real-life cases that Aili Seghetti witnessed while working as an intimacy and sex coach, this book is a deep dive into the innermost desires of modern Indians who are trying to make sense of a rapidly changing terrain of intimacy and pleasure. The individuals in this book, primarily men, often find themselves lost and confused as they struggle to redefine masculinity, while failing to express their sexual and emotional needs in a healthy manner.
Uncovering fundamental urges that get shrouded in puritanical secrecy and shame, Seghetti foregrounds the desires of Indian men, who seek paid encounters or emotional connection from a wide array of sexualities, relationships and desires. In telling their stories, she also encourages conversations around rampant abuse, hetero-patriarchal domination and violence, which adversely affect women, minorities and even men.
At its core, Buying Love in India speaks to the male loneliness epidemic. It is a humbling testimony to the fact that despite good sex toys, sex workers and apps, there truly is no substitute for basic human empathy and good communication.
Product details
| Published | 20 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Paperback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 9789369524358 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury India |
| Dimensions | 198 x 129 mm |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing India Pvt. Ltd |
About the contributors
Reviews
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A brave, thought-provoking exploration of modern love, desire and intimacy that challenges us to look beyond easy judgments.
Malini Agarwal
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Aili is one of the few writers with the curiosity to explore the peripheral lives of cities we all think we know. What makes her writing so compelling is the complete absence of judgement – she approaches people, desire and contradiction with openness, empathy and a genuine desire to understand. Buying Love in India takes us into a world that is often hidden in plain sight, and allows us to see it, and the people within it, differently.
Shakun Batra
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Aili's articulation of the complexities of sexual desire and intimacy, alongside the social dynamics, power inequalities, and daily pressures that shape relationships and marriages in India, is brilliant. I could not put it down. Her ability to pair ethical professional practice with deep self-awareness, vulnerability, and compassion shows how transformative this work can be. She brings both cultural nuance and humanity to these conversations, offering an important contribution to the way we understand and support intimate relationships.
Celeste Hirschman
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Buying Love in India brings a deeply needed lens to the intersection of gender, intimacy and relationships, inviting us to question the scripts that continue to shape how Indian women love and are loved.
Neha Bhat

























