Condom Vending Machines (CVMs) Originally uploaded by hpk.
So the other day – in a fit of hope and youthful vitality which is common around Valentine’s day – I thought I’ll quikly grab a few condoms from our friendly neighborhood condom vending machine a.k.a. CVM.
Alas! It seems the machine ran out of condoms or may be patrons as only a sad reminder, in form of the above notice board, hung where the machine used to be. I went to another public toilet near by – same result. Then again and the again!
In February 2004, Hyderabad had decided to equip all public toilets with CVMs. And by god I saw some of them last Navratri… no more. Non of the public toilets have the convenience any more. Boosted by a huge government grant under the anti HIV/AIDS drive a company called Hindustan Latex Ltd., (the same company that sells Moods brand of condoms in India) was hoping to sell 20-30 million condoms in the year 2005. This is how you sell your stuff? Where are the machines?
I hope this is not one of those discriminatory government policies that which says we’ll provide the machines for Navratri, Shivratri, etc.. but not for New Year or Valentine’s day as they be foreign to our culture.
Please bring the machines back, doesn’t matter what dirty and unhygienic places you put them… people will buy. It will save people like me, who lack the courage to go up to the counter and say, “Moods please“, the embarressment of asking my neighborhood chemist aunty for “Moods” etc. It will also reassure me that using condoms is fine and the government supports it (provided I use it for the right things). It will tell the teenage couple down the lane that the government is with them. It will tell worrying parents that the probability of their kids a having a safe good time is much high. We should make these machines and the phenomenon cool… cause cool is what the masses go for.
So what ever the reason, please bring the CVMs back. We need them.
BTW: So what happened on V day? Well the usual….
Related links:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/500636.cms
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1002480
http://www.hindu.com/2004/12/01/stories/2004120103960300.htmÂ