India New Condom with Vibrating Ring

A new condom with a vibrating ring has sparked a furore in a central Indian state, where ruling Hindu nationalists say it is a sex toy and should be banned.

The government of Madhya Pradesh, which earlier this year banned sex education in schools, said the 'Crezendo' condom was not an aid to family planning and AIDS prevention, adding its use could be "against Indian culture".

"Condoms, when used for pleasure with a device like a vibrator, become a sex toy, and sex toys are banned in India," asserted Kailash Vijayvargiya, public works minister in the state, ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"We will certainly ban the product if it is found to be violative of the law or even if its use is found to be against Indian culture," he said, adding that the government should "promote family planning and not sex toys".

‘Yoga, not sex toys’

"It should encourage yoga that helps conserve and increase energy," he says.

"I am discussing it with the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan."

Crezendo condoms, launched on the Indian market about six months ago, include a tiny battery-powered vibrator attached to a ring which is designed to sit at the base of the condom.

Mukesh Gupta, the distributor of the product in the state, said Crezendos simply offered a novel way of encouraging safe sex in India — which with its population of 1.1 billion has the largest number of HIV-AIDS cases worldwide.

"It is not a sex toy but simply a pleasure enhancer that is in great demand by the people," he says.