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SONG CHALLENGE WINNER!
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..
Sari Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Jack the Sailor
What have I got to do to weave a sari
What have I got to do to weave you one
What do I do when bobbins snap thread
And I have to weave from the start again
What do I do to weave it quickly
What have I got to do to make my quota
What do I do to make my wages
When my excuses don't matter one iota
It's dry, so dry
It needs some lubrication
And it's getting more and more absurd
It's dry, dry
Why can't we use a condom
Oh it seems to me
That sari needs some greasing from the bird
What do I do to grease your bobbin
What have I got to lubricate the bird
What do I do with birth control when robbing
What have I got to do
What have I got to do
That sari needs some greasing from the bird