Vibrating condoms attacked by Hindus as illicit 'sex-toys'

A vibrating condom has become the latest target of Hindu nationalists who have outlawed sex education in many schools and suggested teaching teenagers yoga instead.

Authorities in the central state of Madhya Pradesh are planning to ban sales of Crezendo condoms, which have a “vibrating ring” in each pack, on the ground that they should be considered sex toys.



“Condoms should be used for family planning”, said Kailash Vijayvargiya, the public works minister for Madhya Pradesh, which is governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These are sex toys to be used for sexual satisfaction,” he told The Times. “I’ve instructed government officers to check if there is a law against such things. If there isn’t a law, we’ll make one.”

His remarks are the latest evidence of how efforts to promote condom use are thwarted by conservative attitudes towards sex in the nation that produced the Kama Sutra. However, that the condoms were on sale shows how rapidly sexual taboos are disintegrating among the young, largely because of exposure to Western culture.

Crezendos, released nationwide six months ago, advertise themselves as “your passport to the Republic of Pleasure”, promising “a 20-minute joyride through the realms of vibrating pleasure”. Each pack contains three condoms and a tiny battery powered vibrator attached to a ring, which is designed to sit at the base of the condom and stimulate the man and the woman during sex. The vibrator is re-usable, but its battery lasts for only 20 minutes, according to Hindustan Latex, its state-owned manufacturer.