​The sex toy industry in India is mostly run online, with a host of companies dealing in "sex enhancer" products. It's not just battery-operated gadgets — there's fuel for fetish too, like the "satin blindfold and handcuffs for couples" available on Blinkit. Women and queer folks account for over 55% of the sex toy market's total revenue, a segment marketed heavily by sexual wellness influencers looking to bridge "the orgasm gap."

What's the fuss about? In the West, sex toy shops are a regular feature. Behind glass panes, people browse gadgets designed to create sensations, vibrations, insertions — varied interfaces with the mortal body. These devices are devoid of emotion, therefore, not moody, in other words—predictable, and don't get tired. Neither do they get overworked, overstressed, or bored. Sometimes pure carnality is all that's required.

I spoke to two regular users, both fairly candid. The first was a working woman, mother of two, and a senior executive with a full-time job. Charming, looks-wise, she has reasons to complain about ‘putting on weight.’

"Men are getting less manly," she says, as if worried about the rising fuel prices. Married 15 years, she and her husband are, by all accounts, made for each other — good friends who understand one another. They have sex twice a month, and sex toys make up for the rest. She started using them 12 years ago, when a college friend brought her a vibrator as a ‘special gift’ from London. "The intensity of the experience is engaging," she says, and after a considered pause, adds: "Sex toys don't judge — they perform with a certain element of disdain."

"The sexual experience is only fulfilling in fantasy," says a disgruntled young man — a successful software engineer, once a sprinter in college, now carrying soft flab around his waist. He's not even 28. He works hard and earns well beyond what he needs; making money has become a habit, he says, referring to his 90-hour workweek. He's mentally occupied even when he's off the clock, leaving little time or energy to pursue happiness.

To him, dealing with another person is a complication — more work, an added burden. He's rationalized it: "People are using each other. They're self-seeking. Casual sex is anything but casual." He doesn't want the entanglement of another human being while he's building a career. Sex toys are practical — a working strategy, a form of entertainment. "One day when I'm established" — I didn't quite understand what he meant by that — "I'll have time for other things." His family keeps pressing him to start one of his own. Sex toys come in handy. "I have a sex life," he tells them.

In India, the broader trend seems to be that sex toys serve as a substitute; in the West, they're a supplement.