Police have shut down a Christmas retreat in India after posters said it would celebrate the festive season with sessions on tantric sex, masturbation and “cosmic orgasms”.
Catholic groups in Goa reacted angrily to viral social media posts about the four-day programme beginning on 25 December titled “Tales of Kamasutra & Christmas Celebration”.
The poster features Christmas motifs like baubles and candy canes while also offering sessions on “tantra love making”, “cosmic orgasm” and the “mystery of tantric ejaculations”.
“Singles and couples both are welcome,” at the event for a price of Rs 24,995 (£213.50) per person, the poster declared. It says attendants will be required to wear white and maroon robes at all times during the retreat.
Organisers said they had cancelled the event after being contacted by police, while arguing that it had been “portrayed incorrectly as something indecent”. The poster said it was being hosted by the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Foundation and facilitated by the Osho Ludhiana Meditation Society.
The Catholic Association of Goa (CAG) filed a formal complaint with the police, accusing the organisers of deliberately insulting the Christian faith, according to a report by O Heraldo.
The association’s president Cyril A Fernandes said the poster was “illicit, obscene, and deeply offensive” and amounted to “a calculated attempt to denigrate a holy occasion”. He argued that the material violated multiple provisions of India’s penal code, including sections on obscenity, sexual solicitation, trafficking, and outraging religious feelings.
Following the complaint, police registered a case and said that they had “promptly taken cognisance” of the matter, directing the organisers not to proceed with the programme and ordering them to remove all advertisements from social media, a report in the Indian Express said.
After initially being told the event had been cancelled, police said they later found bookings were still being accepted through online and offline channels and warned that non-compliance would trigger further action.
The backlash intensified further after church leaders in Goa condemned the advertisement.
Archbishop of Goa and Daman Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao said: “It is with deep anguish and profound hurt that the Church in Goa addresses the recent advertisement on social media, which irresponsibly associates the sacred celebration of Christmas with explicit and unrelated themes.
“Such portrayals not only disrespect the religious beliefs of an entire community but also erode the values of mutual respect and decency that our diverse society cherishes.”
Women’s groups also raised concerns about the impact on Goa’s reputation as a family-friendly destination.
The Goa Women’s Forum wrote to the state tourism director, warning that the retreat would “project Goa as a sex tourism destination”.
Arz, a Goa-based organisation working against sexual violence and trafficking, separately alerted the Crime Branch, saying the advertisement described explicit activities and required immediate scrutiny.
Local political figures and civil society activists also joined in the criticism. Politician Carlos Alvares Ferreira said in a message on Facebook that the planned programme risked creating “communal disharmony”, adding that “Goa is not a sin destination”.
Australia-based Goan Franky Fernandes told O Heraldo that he was asked for a deposit of Rs 10,000 (£85.40) when he called the number on the poster, and described the mixing of explicit themes with Christmas as a “deliberate insult”.
Facing mounting protests and repeated police enquiries, organiser Manjit Singh told O Heraldo that the retreat had been cancelled.
“Police contacted me on Saturday and Sunday to enquire about the programme,” he said. “People misunderstood the event, which was about meditation, and raised objections. There were no bookings as I had only just advertised it.”
Singh said the intention had been to create a “festive mood of celebration” and conceded that mentioning Christmas in the poster had been an error.
The Independent has reached out to organisers at the Osho Ludhiana Meditation Society for comment, but calls to a number listed on the promotional material for the event went unanswered.
Swami Dhyan Sumit, who was due to facilitate the retreat, said it had been “portrayed incorrectly as something indecent” and insisted it was a meditation-based tantra programme. In a statement, he said: “We are very sorry that the combination of these two words gave the wrong message and hurt the feelings of local people.”
