While premarital sex is quite common, virginity is still an important issue in Indian marriages.
An increasing number of women are opting for hymenoplasty in cities in northern India.
Most of these women provide false addresses and telephone numbers.
They seem to be living a life of dilemma - on the one hand, they believe in asserting their sexual needs and, on the other, are succumbing to traditional views.
The hymen is a thin, delicate membrane (a membrane is like skin but much thinner).
It partially covers the opening of the vagina in most girls.
The social function of the hymen, has been and still is a mythical symbol of virginity in many cultures.
Many girls and teens tear their hymen during first intercourse, while participating in sports like bicycling, horseback riding, gymnastics or inserting tampons, or while masturbating.
A small but increasing number of women are going in for hymenoplasty in India.
The list of takers is long - young upwardly mobile women between relationships, middle-aged women looking for sexual pleasure, rape victims wanting to undo the trauma, sex workers quitting the trade to marry, and non-resident Indian women about to get married.
Surgeon restore hymens for cultural reasons - very important situation for some women, and this operation quite honestly saves lives.
The hymen is reconstructed by piecing together its remnants if it is not too damaged, restoring its original appearance as a circular membrane with a central opening.
This is a simple day care surgery.
Recovery time is few weeks.
Subsequent intercourse will tear the membrane causing pain and bleeding, which is the desired end result of this surgery.