“Mr. Condom” will Save Lives
Posted by Kesav Wable on July 11, 2007
The Wire has reported, on a few occasions about the very real threat that HIV/AIDS poses to India’s well being and security. From recalcitrant state officials who passionately resist sex education programs to the growing prevalence of infected Indian military personell, it is safe to say that glimmers of hope are seldom encountered in the landscape of an epidemic. Still, when they do shine through, it is our duty as hopeful citizens to magnify their intensity. Such is the case with this installment of the Wire that highlights the work of the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), an agency organized under the auspecies of India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Searching for a Hero
In a June 29th article, the Times of India reported that K. Sujatha Rao, NACO’s program cheif, had just returned from a trip to Thailand with a new sense of purpose; he wanted to dub India’s very own “Mr. Condom”. Modelled after a revolutionary Thai senator, Mechai Viravaidya, Rao envisions this individual to be passionate about the cause. Mr. Condom, whoever he may be, has a tall order to fill according to Rao:
He has to quiten cynics and inspire leaders into promoting condom use. He has to devise and implement imaginative condom promotion techniques as was done in Thailand. He has to have a dynamic personality to change both government policy and public perceptions about HIV, AIDS, sex and condoms.
According to the Times, the World Bank credited Mechai’s creative and sometimes iconoclastic methods for stymieing Thailand’s AIDS crisis and preventing another 7.7 million infections. His methods, to name a few, included persuading traffic cops, Santas and toll-booth operators to distribute condoms, Buddhist monks to bless batches of condom packs in ceremonies and hiring farmers to spray-paint condom ads on their cows.
“He glued condoms to visiting cards, put them on key chains and named his restaurant Cabbages and Condoms.”
Mr. Rao has assembled a strategic team to help devise methods of promoting condom use in India. Recruits from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management are among those who will lead the quest for “Mr. Condom”. Perhaps a “Ms. Condom” or a dynamic-duo of the two would enjoy even more success.
