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| Desi viagra on sale in a khadi outlet on the Sabarmati Ashram premises. Telegraph picture |
Ahmedabad, Jan. 27: Want a truly arousing dose of swadeshi? Try desi viagra — in the home of the man who preached abstinence.
A Khadi Gramodyog outlet on the Sabarmati Ashram premises has angered Gandhians by selling vitality tonics the manufacturer says cures impotency.
A teaspoonful of Musali Paak, Kaunch Paak or Mount Forte syrup — the last one is available in capsule form, too — can “work wonders”, claims Kailash, an employee of a Rajasthan-based pharmaceutical company, the maker of the so-called vitality drugs.
The company is recognised and financed by the Khadi and Village Industry Corporation (KVIC).
Kailash, who has been selling the pills and tonics not just in the Gandhi ashram but also supplying to various Khadi Gramodyog outlets across Gujarat, says sale is brisk.
Hemant Chauhan, an ashram inmate who has been taking these “ayurvedic medicines”, says they are quite popular as they have been priced moderately.
A 250gm jar of Kaunch Paak powder — you have to mix it with milk — costs Rs 130. Musali Paak is costlier (Rs 200) while a bottle of Mount Forte syrup comes at Rs 225. For those who prefer pills, a strip contains 30 — one a day every evening.
People like Chauhan may be hooked on the drugs, supposed to increase a man’s libido, but diehard Gandhians are not amused.
Activist Chunibhai Vaidya, a resident of the ashram, said he was “shocked” by the “deviation” from Gandhi’s philosophy of abstinence.
“I don’t think the KVIC could have given permission to sell these pills. If it has, then it has become bankrupt and is no longer a Gandhian institution,” he fumed.
Ashram secretary Amrut Modi said the sale of the “desi viagra” was unacceptable on or near the premises and, for that matter, at any outlet dealing in khadi, which the Mahatma had turned into a tool for winning freedom.
“This is against the principles of Gandhiji. These medicines enhance unnatural sexual desires and make a man lustful,” he said.
Mahesh Kothari, who worked closely with Vinoba Bhave, considered Gandhi’s spiritual successor, expressed surprise. “It should not happen,” he said. “Sale of such pills in khadi outlets is against Gandhian ideals.”
But KVIC general manager Babubhai Dave said there was nothing wrong in Khadi Gramodyog outlets selling “desi viagra”.
These ayurvedic medicines, he added, were recognised and certified by the corporation.
KVIC chairperson Kumudben Joshi could not be reached for comment.
In the ashram, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, protests have already started. Dhimant Badhia, the chief of the Gandhi Sena, a social outfit that seeks to uphold Gandhian ideals, has not waited for Joshi to stop the sale of the pills and has launched an agitation on the premises.
Badhia’s grandfather was a weaver who had been handpicked by Gandhi to stay in the ashram.
Like Badhia, Chauhan, too, is a third-generation ashram inmate. But he does not agree with Badhia and other Gandhians.
The “medicines”, he said, should continue to be sold here. “After all, sexual health is serious business.”