The Condom Barin Chandigarh

[Guest guest]

The Condom Bar

by Nirupama Dutt

Never before has the condom been debated upon in Chandigarh as much

as it has this May. The reason: the recent opening of the Condom Bar

by the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation

(CITCO) in the Kalagram Arts Village Complex on the Chandigarh-Shimla

highway.

A full-fledged watering hole, the Condom Bar offers customers the

works - from a mug of chilled beer for Rs 30 (US$1=Rs 45) to a well-

spiced Bloody at Rs.70; and from a large peg of Antiquity for Rs

45 to 100 Pipers at Rs 60. There are also soft drinks and snacks

aplenty, including north Indian favorites like 'kalami

kabab', 'tandoori chicken' and 'paneer tikka', all at affordable

prices. A vegetarian 'thali' (platter) in the adjoining Rasoi

restaurant can be ordered for just Rs 50. And, while you are at it,

you can also order some condoms.

The Condom Bar is a first-of-its-kind venture that helps in raising

AIDS awareness and encouraging safe sex. The idea of starting such a

bar occurred to Jasbir Singh Bir, Managing Director, CITCO, during

his travels abroad. He went ahead with the plan, fully aware that it

would raise many eyebrows. " Someone had to take the lead and I

decided to do so. It is high time we shed our hypocrisy and see what

the ground reality is. We need to encourage condom usage rather than

be embarrassed about it, " says Bir.

The target, according to Bir, is the middle class and even the lower

middle class. He says, " The elite are aware and visit the posh bars

and getaways around the city. It's the middle class and people from

rural backgrounds that frequent the CITCO complex in Kalagram. What

has made me happy is that the response has been tremendous and many

young - married and unmarried - couples are frequenting the bar. I

chose this place because it is on the highway and is easily

accessible. "

As you enter the bar, the brass lettering on the door

announces 'Condom Bar' and prepares you for the message, as does the

big mascot of a condom, surrounded by the HIV/AIDS red ribbon

insignia. This logo is actually a motif that appears all over the

bar: on the tumblers, T-shirts and other souvenirs, and on the

uniforms of the waiters. But that's not all: the backdrop of the bar

has a mural made of hundreds of condoms. Sex is the theme of the

paintings on the walls and tablemats: 'Enjoy Safely', 'Don't Just Get

On. Get It On!' and 'Protect Yourself, Protect Others' announce the

mats.

Of course, there is no gender divide and condoms are available for

both men and women, with the UT State AIDS Control Society supplying

the condoms. And if you have bought your contraceptives and had a peg

or two, you could shake a leg in the adjoining disco where the DJ

spins some foot stomping numbers.

However, there are many opposing strains that can be heard. Says

theatre director Rani Balbir Kaur, a prominent senior citizen of the

city, " While we do need to raise AIDS awareness, such openness is

only going to encourage lust and licentious behavior among the

young. " Adds Avnish Jolly, a doctor who has been running an AIDS

Helpline for several years in Chandigarh, " We are not yet culturally

ready for such a place. What we need to do is create awareness at the

grassroots. Condom-usage cannot be developed without cultural

development. "

However, officials herald the bar as a positive move towards raising

AIDS awareness. Trikha, Project Director, UT State AIDS Control

Society, who supports the effort, elaborates, " The opening of the

Condom Bar has served the purpose of breaking the taboo on talking

about sex and condoms. What is more significant is that this effort

has come from a government agency... At present, we have kept Deluxe

and Nirodh condoms, taken from stockists. But we propose to keep all

kinds of brands, including extra-lubricated ones for homosexuals. "

Explains Bir, " We are seeing permissive behavior all around us. There

are surveys showing that as many as 60 per cent of schoolgirls are

indulging in sex. Young corporate professionals are living a

permissive lifestyle. With the development of the IT city, 15,000

young professionals from other cities will be descending here. It is

well known that weekends see young people getting together to de-

stress, drink, dance and indulge in sex. "

As the debate rages, the bar draws large crowds, roughly between the

age group of 20-40. Evenings are particularly busy, with people lined

up outside. Says A.K. Malhotra, manager of the bar, " We have a home

theatre screening a movie on AIDS, produced by the National AIDS

Control Association. " CITCO also plans to hold an annual 'Ms and Mr

CITCO' contest at Kalagram. Adds Bir, " We will invite the NGOs

working in the HIV sector to identify potential participants,

irrespective of their HIV status. "

Incidentally, Condom Bar was inaugurated by Pooja Thakur, President,

Chandigarh Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS. " The Bar serves

the purpose of demystifying sex and the condom. I am all for creating

awareness about AIDS at every level so that no one meets their end

like my husband, a truck driver, who died of AIDS. "

It is estimated that the local Post-Graduate Institute of Medical

Education and Research (PGI) has as many as 1,500 HIV+ people

receiving treatment. There are an equal number of such patients in

the surrounding areas of Punjab and Haryana. As many as 155 children

are among those receiving treatment for HIV at the PGI.

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