Naked Truth

I tried out nude modelling, and it turned me on. 

It all began with a poster on a Mumbai art gallery’s notice board. I was scanning it for new exhibitions when I saw the ad. “Interested in nude modelling? Any body type, any gender. 500 rupees an hour. Call 9920678754.” I stared at the ad for a while; it almost read like a seedy Craigslist post for paid sex. Maybe it was the monetary component that made me think like that, but the always up-for-interesting-experiences part of me was quite piqued. As usual, I asked myself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” and the answer wasn’t particularly traumatic. I called the number.

A polite young man responded. He sounded genuine, and asked me to check out his Instagram account to get an idea of his work (and to prove that he was legit). He was in the final year of his fine arts degree, and was doing this for a personal project he wanted to exhibit some day. “Have you done this before?” he asked. There was still something sexual about this interaction. I said I hadn’t. He said it would be a very interesting experience for me. I agreed. I also told him that he wouldn’t have to pay me. He insisted. I refused. He relented, a tad relieved.