Daze Reader

Condom battle in India

http://www.dazereader.com/24001047.htm Petty-minded cultural conservatives in India want to ban a new brand of vibrating condoms sold by the state-run Hindustan Latex company. The Crezendo condoms contain a battery-powered ring at the base, which "provides ultimate pleasure by producing strong vibrations". A minor local politician ("the Madhya Pradesh minister for road and energy") complained that the vibrating condoms should be classified as "sex toys", which are banned in India. He harrumphs, "The government's job is to promote family planning and population control measures rather than market products for sexual pleasure."

The Times of India editorializes in favor of condom freedom.

This is a truly baffling instance of political opportunism in the name of Indian culture.

Predictably, the fuss created by the minister has instigated politicians from the Congress and CPM as well to hop on to the bandwagon. When it comes to championing the collective morality of the country, it's a competitive field: There's little that separates politicians of different hues. However, their arguments stand on a shaky wicket and the concern is misplaced. Even a cursory glance at ancient texts and statuary in India gives lie to the claim that sex for recreation is not in keeping with Indian tradition and culture.

. . . A company must be free to innovate its product line if it feels there is a need to do so. Whether it is government-owned or private is immaterial. Hindustan Latex has been registering a slowdown in profits owing to competition from other brands. If value-adding to its existing products can help arrest the slide, so be it.

Condoms are an essential weapon in our battle against AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases. They are equally important in promoting effective birth control as well as family welfare. . . . It is ironic that while government is running a high-decibel multimedia campaign to promote the use of condoms, self-appointed custodians of Indian culture are hell-bent on playing spoilsport. If only the repercussions were not grave, one could call the fracas outright stupid.

Hear, hear. A followup article in today's Times notes that the national sex toy ban is widely ignored.

Labelled a sex toy, the condom Crezendo has been described by some as ‘anti-Indian’ and ‘anti-culture’. But not many know that much before Crezendo came into the market, a leading condom manufacturer was already selling these vibrating rings. These are still readily available in the market at Rs 300 a piece.

That isn’t the only sex toy available in the grey market even though their sale is prohibited under law. Just walk into the Capital’s Palika Bazaar or Mumbai’s Crawford Market and the repertoire of sex toys — everything from dildos to inflatable latex dolls — is an indicator of the demand for these products. China, incidentally, manufactures 70% of the world’s sex products and many of these find their way into India where the market is estimated at Rs 500 crore [US$125 million].

 

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