The background is a lurid pink and purple — but the question that pops up on it in the late night television show is as stark as black and white. “Does great sex have benefits,” the viewer asks. With no sign of emotion on his phlegmatic face, the sexologist, sitting in the studio with a laptop in front of him, explains the advantages of “great sex”. Another question blinks on the screen as soon as he completes answering the first. “What are the additional benefits?” The good doctor goes on to list a few more plus points.

Cut to another show. A former film and television actor and three doctors watch a short telefilm on “sexual fantasies” followed by a discussion on the issue. Move on to another channel — and it’s yet another programme dealing with sex. A “psycho-sexologist” is on the air, and with avuncular concern assures a viewer that he has an ayurvedic solution to his problem of “excessive indulgence.”

The programmes are plain and simple. There are no dark shots, no husky voices and certainly no heaving chests. When the little ones have been packed off to bed, television turns to sex — with discussions, question-and-answer sessions, talks and so on. The leading channels may be squeamish about sex, but several others — such as Shakti TV, Care World and Zee Jagran — believe the time has come to call a spade a spade, and a condom a condom.

“Ignorance levels on sexual matters are massive. Everybody feels that his or her problem is unique and they don’t even know whom to get in touch with. We show them that their problems are not unique,” says Varsha Usgaonker, actress and anchor of Kya Karu Main Ab? (What do I do now?) on Care World TV, a Mumbai-based channel.

Usgaonker says she was initially apprehensive about the show, but now she feels it has been one of her “most satisfying” experiences. “To my surprise most of our viewers are women. Many of them are able to come out of the closet and share their problems with us,” she says.

Ajit Gupta, managing director of Care World, says the show has clocked more than 100 episodes with scores of psychologists, sexologists, gynaecologists and others appearing on it, talking about issues ranging from pre-marital sex to sexual fantasies in old age.

The shows — with innovative names — come alive after 11pm. Sandwich For Better Sex Life runs on Shakti TV, while Kyon Ki Raat Abhi Baaki Hai (Because the night is still young) is on Focus TV. Burlington Clinic by SK Jain is aired on Zee Jagran. Focus TV is the only news channel that has a show on sexual relations telecast on weekends.

The idea for the title of the Sandwich show “just came,” says D.D. Sharma, director of Shakti TV. “It’s not such a bad idea, considering the issues that are discussed, don’t you think,” Sharma asks. In this programme, experts answer questions mailed by viewers.

Gupta and Sharma are dismissive of any suggestion that the shows have been launched to raise viewership levels. “Gaining popularity is the last thing on our minds,” asserts Sharma. “If you look at our programme, you’ll find that there is no titillation or any display of images that can even be called sexual,” he says.

Others point out that the issues discussed are serious — and their viewers are people who have questions to ask. “Ours is a one-hour show on weekends, and we get almost 60-70 calls during the show. In fact we get many calls from Indians settled abroad,” says Anju Grover, programming head, Focus TV.

Focus TV, being a women-oriented channel, mostly takes up issues that relate to women’s sexual health. But Manisha Upadhye, the anchor of the show, adds that many men call in to air their problems as well. “We see to it that we are not judgmental about any subject that could be controversial. We only express our opinion but try not to be too opinionated,” she says. The show has been looking at issues such as infidelity, partner swapping, pornography, multiple partners, myths about sex and one-night stands.

It’s no coincidence that the programmes on most channels are aired around the same time. The channel heads, however, point out that this is not to take on the competitors, but because the adult content demands late night viewing.

“We are not in a race for TRPs. We know that our programmes are popular. We get scores of calls and also have experts who answer hundreds of questions by mail,” says Gupta of Care World.

Pooja Punjabi, a Mumbai-based psychologist who has been interviewed in some shows, agrees that people have many questions on sex. “I wish there were more programmes on other mainline channels. It’s important for people who have sex-related issues to discuss them with experts,” she says.

Curiously, apart from sex, some of the channels focus on religion. For instance, a programme with recitations from the Hanuman Chalisa — a religious text — follows soon after Sandwich. Maha Mrityunjay Mantra, another religious show, is aired after Kya Karu Main Ab? The Burlington Clinic show is on an out-and-out religious channel and is preceded and followed by spiritual programmes.

Some would say that’s because both sex and religion sell. But the owners have their own take on this. “We promote holistic living on our channels and sex forms an important part of our lives. We see no conflict in this at all,” says Anita Ahuja, regional head, north, Zee Jagran, Delhi.

In India, where sex matters are generally wrapped in cellophane, the sudden mushrooming of sex programmes is raising eyebrows. But actor Samir Kochhar, who was the host of one of the first sex shows on television — Dangerous on Zoom, a lifestyle channel — is not surprised. People’s awareness about sex, he says, is so limited that the programmes are bound to be popular.

“I was taken aback at the kind of questions we were asked on the show. I remember a newly married woman calling and asking us if it was okay for her to sleep with her husband. I would say that we should have separate channels dedicated to these issues,” says Kochhar.

While channels take responsibility for the shows they produce themselves, some, like Zee Jagran and Shakti, have sponsored slots that are dedicated to sexual talk. “The producers pay a certain amount to us for airing it on our channel,” says Ahuja.

According to a source in one of the channels, the slots for sponsored late night and mid-night shows could be obtained for as little as Rs 10,000 for half an hour.

While psychologists say that such programmes can only help the people, some believe that unregulated sponsored shows can lead to problems. “What is happening now is that many people are going to sex clinics which are run by quacks. If these quacks also start appearing on TV, it would be an extension of the problem that already exists on the ground,” says Karthik Rao, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist.

Kochar believes the time has come to be open about sex. “We are the land of the Kamasutra and the second most populous country in the world. We all didn’t drop from the sky. We should stop being hypocrites. The government should also have a role to play in promoting sex education channels,” he says.

Until then, watching sex shows between holy chants is the only way out for those seeking answers to their questions. It’s nirvana by another name.