Sensex down, but sex is up

Condom sales see freak boom in last 3 months, youngsters say making out is a great way to relax and beat job anxiety

MARKETS are down, so are jobs and the general mood, but it all seems to have triggered the strange rise and rise of the libido across the country.

If condom sales of leading brands in the last financial quarter (October-December) are any indication, people are having more sex than ever to greet the meltdown.

Durex has posted a whopping 42 per cent rise in sales in the last quarter, while Hindustan Latex's Moods and Nirodh have together grown by 12 per cent, an unusual jump. Even Kamasutra's President (Sales and Marketing) Aniruddha Deshmukh said the sales had gone up this quarter, but added that the company policy did not permit him to quote the exact growth figure.

"In these tough times, working professionals like us look out for more ways to relax and enjoy. Sex is a great solution," said 27-year-old Prasoon Puri (name changed), correspondent with a Gurgaon-based English techie magazine, whose job confirmation has become uncertain because of the slump. "I guess it's the anxiety. Earlier, my wife and I used to have sex two-three times a week. Now we have it nearly five days a week."u00a0

Mind doctors say there's no reason for jaws to drop: depressive phases are known to push people to copious lovemaking. Americans made out more than ever after 9/11, Brazilians set their beaches and bedrooms on fire after their football teams defeats in recent World Cups.

"Recession can surely be one of the reasons. Slump and loss of work often make people lonely and they use sex to beat that loneliness and anxiety," said psychiatrist from Mumbai Dr Harish Shetty.

At the chemists' at Apollo Hospital, Assistant Pharmacist Gulshan Kumar confirmed the trend. "A large number of customers come to our shop for condoms anyway, but in the last three four months it has been increased. At least a 100 pieces sell daily, which has just doubled in the last four months," he said.

Condom companies are not complaining.

"People are realising that sex with a condom is equally pleasurable," said Vishal Vyas, sales head of Durex, confirming the 42 per cent jump in last-quarter sales. "There is certainly an increase, but as a company we cannot say for sure why," KK Suresh Kumar, national head, marketing, Hindustan Latex.

But mental health professionals say other reasons could be contributing to the spurt in sales too.

"People have started believing that condoms do not kill their sexual pleasure. There must be an increase in the number of first-timers too," said sexologist Dr Arti Anand of Ganga Ram Hospital.