The Times of India, New Delhi daily publishes open ads of boys/men seeking women/girls/widows/divorcees/separated ladies etc. for casual/stray out of marriage sex in the name of penfriendship under its classified ad column 'PENFRIENDS'. Some of these ads belong to agencies which supply addresses of males/females wanting such sexual relationships. Ads of couples seeking other couples/men/women are also published. These ads are meant for wife swapping and group sex. Some of the advertisers might actually be running brothels. A few examples:

BEFRIEND educated, smart, bold girls/boys/couples wherever/whenever you want. Make quick contacts to meet them. Avail them for royal satisfaction, solve your sex problems, Free membership for females and couples, Write for free details ...

HIGH profile social club for all your friendship needs. Socialize, befriend bold and BM (= broad minded) males/females/couples. Write to ...

BEAUTIFUL fun loving girls only between 18-25, students/ hostlers/ working. Contact for fun and friendship ...

MALE 31/175 CMS wants friendship with female. Belongs to good respectable family. Call ... Privacy assured.

ATTENTION broad minded females! Build sincere relationship with well-settled handsome 30 yr. old businessman. Contact ...

A YOUNG ultra qualified male ... seeks friendship from females, ... beautiful, young, mature.

HELLO girls ... I am Sudesh. Have sweet charming long lasting friendship with me. Just dial ...

SINCERE loving caring helpful smart BM officer 38 seeks pretty lonely decent girls/ladies. Page ... PO Box ...

SENIOR executive male 49 living alone invites friendship from educated ladies. Age no bar. Tel (res.)...

A MALE is looking for female friend who should be qualified beautiful sincere. I am highly qualified and handsome. Call after 3...

SINCERE loving caring helpful BM smart officer 38 seeks cute/lonely/sad BM girls/ladies. Good time hospitality assured...P Box...

CHEERS club (Friendship Magazine) on news stands... Himani Int'l A-117, Shakarpur, Delhi 92.

IF YOU want something new in your boring life then freely contact us all male/female. American Net. Com., 61 Rajendra Bhawan, Rajendra Place, N. Delhi...privacy assured.

BROAD-MINDED M/F call now for real friendship at Times Friendship Network, H/58-69, South Extn. Part-I, N. Delhi.

REMOVE frustration! Make nice sober M/F friends. Blue Star Friendship, G-29 Palika Palace, Panchkuian Road, N. Delhi.

TALK about friendship of your choice ... Western personal friendship network, T-61 Asha Niwas Khirki Extn. Malviya Nagar, N. Delhi.

SITI telefriendship club provides genuine long term telefriendship...CB-174 I Floor, Main Road Naraina, N. Delhi.

We are not giving the dates on which these ads appeared. The dates are not important. Such ads are published daily in the Times of India. Pick any issue of the paper and look for the classified ad column 'PENFREINDS' and you can avail the facility offered by our great national daily.

It may be merely a coincidence that all the advertisers are males and all of them want only females as their penfriends, but did you know that couples can also become penfriends, i.e., two persons can simultaneously write the same letter? Could you ever imagine that penfriendship can also solve your sex problems? Had you ever thought that handsome men and beautiful girls make better penfriends? Did you know that being fun-loving/sad/lonely/living alone etc. are the qualities required for penfriendship? Did you ever know that privacy is required for being a penfriend? Aren't you grateful to TOI that its gives you so much knowledge? And don't try to tell TOI that penfriends are not supposed to meet each other in person, and therefore the possibility of being hospitable or otherwise doesn't arise. It is much wiser than you. It is a big publishing house and what you are? Only a layman.

If the Times of India hikes this site, search for the phrase "Yellow Journalism in Indian Press" using various search engines and you will get this site on another server.

Our site was advertised in the first week of Dec, '99. This column is not appearing in TOI w.e.f. 8/12/99. We do not know why. Has the column been discontinued considering it to be unethical? No, no! TOI group is one of the biggest publishing houses of the country and its editor must be the most competent person in this profession. How can they publish any unethical material in their paper? We believe that it must be some temporary problem and soon the column will reappear in TOI. We miss it so much.

At last, after a gap of more than four months, TOI has fulfilled our wish, at least partially. Today, i.e., on Apr 22, 2000, we found the following ad in TOI.

This is the same ad which used to prominently appear daily in this column before it was discontinued. We hope that it will again become a daily feature.

Old habits die hard!