The Condom Factory

So there's good news and bad news. First the bad news, apparently, the condom manufacturing method employed here in Kerala is tantamount to stealth technology and we were banned from taking pictures. That absolutely killed me. The good news is that I now have an intimate knowledge of the process of making condoms. I do have one picture of a sample product they let us have.

Anyway, the factory and company are in reality quite interesting. It is a latex company that is run by the Keralan government. They make something like over 500 million condoms every year. Most of the product is marketed in India. The company also provides childcare, education stipends, and stipends for healthcare to its employees. The company, called Hidustan Latex Limited, is very involved in the community and has funded small public works projects including building municipal parks and other charity initiatives such as AIDS education. Finally, the company has "adopted" to children whose parents died from AIDS when they were young. Overall, the company is a fantastic corporate citizen. Keep in mind, this is a state run company.

Now back to the stuff I thought was funny. In each condom package, there is an insert that gives position suggestions. There is a series of 9 different inserts. I asked the PR guy at the factory if you won a prize if you collected all 9. The question was lost in translation and my only answer was a smile and a bobbing of the head. "Masti time"