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The Song Challenge:   The Day That Saji's Sari Slipped and Baji's Bobbin Got Buffed . . . India's health minister has banned the use of condoms to lubricate bobbins used in weaving saris.  CP Thakur has told parliament sari makers are using condoms to speed up weaving because condom lubricant was also good at stopping yarn from snapping.    Mr. Thakur claims the use of so many condoms in the sari industry is affecting India's population control programme.    "Instructions have been issued to stop this practice," Mr Thakur said.  Mr Thakur says the use of condoms in weaving is causing shortages and instances of unscrupulous government health workers meant to distribute free condoms to contain population instead selling the condoms to sari makers.  Workers rub the condoms on bobbins while they make their brocade saris.   The industry is using an estimated half a million condoms every day.   Each of the 125,000 looms in the city of Varanasi uses an average four condoms per day.   It takes nearly 15 condoms to produce one Benarasi sari. The lubricant on the condom smoothens the bobbin and makes it move faster between threads..


Rami on the Loom by Amos
(Tune: Brenna on the Moor [Click to Play])

It's about a poor young weaver, my story I will tell!
His name was Rami Santi, and in India he did dwell
He wove the golden fabric, that on maidens fair would go
And he wove his weave exceeding fine, but wove exceeding slow,

And its Rami on the loom
Rami on the loom!
Slow but never stupid was young Rami on the loom.

Now Rami's wife was angry for his rupees were too few
"The children, they are hungry!! You must do what you must do!!"
So Rami weaved and pondered through the long and hungry night,
Slowly making up that golden yarn into saris soft and bright!

And its Rami on the loom
Rami on the loom!
Slow but never stupid was young Rami on the loom.

And as morning broke, the tired weaver found himself a plan!
And he went into the city, to the Family Planning van,
He said I'll take a gross, and when the agent asked him why
He said "I have a hungry wife," and winked exceeding sly!

And its Rami on the loom
Rami on the loom!
Slow but never stupid was young Rami on the loom.

Now young Rami has the answer, to his loom he does repair
He loosened up his bobbins, and he laid the yarn down fair.
He set the pedals dancing and he straightened out his yoke,
Then he grabbed himself a condom, from underneath his cloak!

And its Rami on the loom
Rami on the loom!
Slow but never stupid was young Rami on the loom.

With the rubber on his fingers, and the lube-oil on the twill
He makes the loom to weave as fast as lightning on the hills,
The sari's glory fast appears, with ne'e'r a sign of toil
And Rami's yarn stays fast and true, kept cool with Condom Oil!

And its Rami on the loom
Rami on the loom!
Slow but never stupid was young Rami on the loom.

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