Social-media influencers are battling to educate young Indians about sex
Condom sales are rising during the Navratri festival
THIS WEEK marks the start of Navratri, a Hindu festival spanning nine nights that honours the goddess Durga. In western India, men and women celebrants will re-enact the fight between good and evil by clanking wooden sticks and swaying in circles together to loud music. Some go further. Navratri’s emphasis upon heady mingling between the sexes has long been associated with free love. The Hindu nationalist government of Gujarat once attributed a rise in abortions in the state to the festival. Condom sales are reported to soar ahead of it.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Playing it safe during Navratri”
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