Indians are easily offended and especially when you relate a religious topic to a forbidden one. The Manforce condom company decided to advertise their sheath (google it!) with billboards that read, “This Navratri, play, but with love.” The hoarding also had a picture of their ambassador, Sunny Leone, in ethnic attire with a naughty smile. This stirred up a lot of controversy in Gujarat and who might you think is against this advertisement? No not local religious people but the ones on the side of science, doctors.
To be honest any sane and educated person would tell you it is better to be safe than sorry but not the doctors of Gujarat. They have a different way of seeing things and have decided to ban the Manforce company on basis of hurting religious sentiments.
The group of doctors jumping up for a ban of the company all belong to the National Medicos Organisation (NMO) which is also affiliated to the RSS, coincidence? I think not.
Some of us may think, yes it is hurting religious sentiments and they should ban the condoms but wait the doctors aren’t looking for a ban just for the condoms but every medicine manufactured by Mankind Pharma in Gujarat.
Mankind Pharma has been around for more than two decades and supplies affordable medication that has been helping people for a very long time. One of the doctors supporting the ban admits that the company supplies good medication but that’s not enough in his head to consider the ban irrational. The chief of NMO Dr. Prakash Kurmi has sent out a request to the 5000 doctors affiliated with Mankind Pharma to boycott their products. He was quoted saying, “But this time, they have crossed the limit by putting up hoardings featuring Sunny Leone, dandiya and a double entendre. Such obscenity hurts our religious sentiments.”
Another wise man of science, Dr. Vasant Patel tried to make a point, “The message in the hoarding was very clear that condoms should be used during Navratri. I think legal action must be initiated against this company.” Legal action for asking people to avoid STD’s, what’s next? Killing people for eating beef? Wait, that’s already been suggested.
Members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have also joined the religious cause and stated that the company is undermining Hindus and instigating people.
Mankind Pharma decided to avoid any more aggression and removed all the hoarders in Gujarat and published a public apology.
But if you think about it, Mankind made the hoarding based on a well informed basis. A survey has stated that the sale of contraceptives rises up three times during the season of Navratri every year.
