Indian actress Sonny Leon’s condom advertisement was protested and removed before the kuya Festival.

[Observer Network Comprehensive Report] Before the grand kuya Festival in India, a condom company was forced to withdraw its popular Manforce condom advertisement in the western state of Gujarat because of protests from some Indians.

According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on September 22nd, this year’s Nine Nights Festival began on the 21st. A few days ago, huge billboards appeared in some cities in the state. Sunny Leone, an Indian-Canadian actress, advised people to "play on the Nine Nights Festival, but bring love (AA Navaratriye Ramo, Paraantu Premthi)".

Sonny Leon attended Mankind brand event (IndiaCinestaan website map)

Leon used to be a porn star, but he successfully transformed into the heroine of a popular Bollywood movie. She has many fans in India and is also the brand ambassador of Manli, India’s largest condom company.

The advertisement made some conservative Indians very angry and accused the condom company of "making marketing unprecedentedly low-level".

Twitter users asked to withdraw the huge outdoor condom advertisement.

Many people criticized this "unpleasant advertisement" on social media sites, and the National Federation of Indian Traders even complained to the government, calling for an immediate ban on the advertisement.

"This is an irresponsible and immature move to increase sales, betting all our cultural values," the organization said in a complaint to Indian Minister of Consumer Affairs Ram Ram Vilas Paswan.

Plaven kandel, secretary-general of the National Federation of Indian Traders, said: "The Nine Nights Festival is a sacred festival, symbolizing the strength of women. It is very unpleasant to associate condoms with this festival." Kandel Waal saw these billboards on a trip from Delhi to Surat.

"The advertisement didn’t mention the word condom, but it made a pun to encourage young people to use’ Manli’ condoms in the name of Nine Nights Festival, which is immoral," he said.

After receiving the complaints, surat and Vadodara have removed dozens of billboards, but kandel Vaal demanded that measures be taken against condom manufacturers and actresses to "set an example for future offenders".

On the evening of 19th, the company tweeted that they had withdrawn the advertisement.

However, some people think that the condom advertisement during the Nine Nights Festival may not be a bad idea.

The traditional bully dance of the Nine Nights Festival (Garba, Indian Express)

Many years ago, a young woman who had just moved from Delhi to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, said that they were "entertaining" during the Nine Nights Festival, which lasted for nine nights.

During that time, even the most conservative parents adopted a slightly relaxed attitude. Teenagers and young unmarried men and women were allowed to stay out late at night and participate in traditional Garba activities held in hotels, banquet halls, parks and private farmhouses.

Since the late 1990s, it has been reported that during festivals, young people often act rashly and have unprotected sex. Two months later, the pregnancy rate recorded an increase, and many people went to the clinic for abortion.

Although many old residents of Gujarat firmly believe that these reports are greatly exaggerated, perhaps even the product of an overly active imagination, it is true that doctors and health workers have drawn people’s attention to this issue over the years, and Indian state departments have also expressed their concern.

There have been attempts to encourage young people to take safe measures during sex, and there are also reports that many revelers, mostly girls or young women, get rid of the shackles and buy condoms.

Jaswant Patel, president of the Federation of Pharmacists’ Associations in Gujarat, said that in the past 10 years, he had found that condom sales increased by at least 30% during festivals.

"Condoms are not only sold in pharmacists and general stores, but also in corner shops selling betel leaves. Most consumers are teenagers and college students," Patel told BBC.

Nine Nights Festival Celebration Scene (Xinhuanet)

Ruby Mehta, a gynecologist, has run a clinic in Ahmedabad for the past twenty years. Mehta said that even with the increase in condom sales, the pregnancy rate among teenagers continued to rise after the holiday.

"Condoms are available everywhere, and couples in their twenties will be more responsible, but teenagers don’t know much about this, and they will lose their minds. Therefore, after the Nine Nights Festival every year, the number of people who come to our clinic for abortion doubles compared with other times, "she said.

The BBC reporter asked if the advertisement for Manli condom in Mehta was a good idea, and if Ms. Leon could encourage young people in Gujarat to have safe sex, she smiled.

"Sex education is one thing, and advertising is another. What we need is better sex education in schools. Young girls need to pay more attention to this matter, which can help solve the problem, "she said.

Sonny Leon Manforce advertisement

Information: Nine Nights Festival in India

Navaratri, also known as "Mother’s Day", "Mother’s Day" and "Desai Festival", is a traditional festival in Nepal and India. The festival commemorates the goddess’ victory over the Mahiha demon, starting from the full moon between September and October every year and lasting for 9 days, meaning "kuya of the Goddess".

The Nine Nights Festival and the Ten Victory Festival are linked together. The first nine days are the Nine Nights Festival and the last day is called the Ten Victory Festival. There are many legends about this festival, which is roughly to commemorate the goddess SHAKTI (representing the power of pregnancy, the power of women, etc.) who fought for 9 days and finally defeated and killed Niu Mowang Mahisha.

Describe the goddess’ victory over the devilPainting (from Indian website)

Shaktism Sect, which worships the goddess, is one of the three major sects of Hinduism, and is inextricably linked with esoteric Buddhism and many tribal cults. The ceremonies to commemorate this festival vary from place to place, including worshipping virgins, slaughtering sacrifices, burning or flooding idols, etc.

Music with a strong sense of rhythm makes the atmosphere of this festival very warm and endless all night, just like scenes in Bollywood movies. The Ten Victory Festival is the climax of the whole celebration.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that in Indian mythology, Niu Mowang Mahiha, who was killed, was portrayed as fierce and explosive. He was the daughter of Diti, the mother of all demons, who was turned into a ferocious face after long-term penance. She was born in a group of demons and founded the country and went to war with the gods.

He Yun, a netizen from Zhihu and the Department of South Asian Studies at Peking University, once introduced this "great god" and thought that this Niu Mowang should at least look like this:

Unexpectedly, in the Nine Nights Festival, Indians will make Niu Mowang such a cute paper puppet and then burn it:

Image from Zhihu related questions and answers.

Is the cute moustache so handsome?

Interested readers can take a step to understand.