Sex sells, but not here

It pays to be a woman; or so it would seem. A recent report, which says that the Commonwealth Games in Delhi will fall short by 50 per cent escort girls and that the number will be filled in by prostitutes from Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune is appalling.

Who says it's a man's world? India needs women badly! If only they would have thought of this before, we wouldn't have such a skewed girl child ratio. Pardon the dry humour, but does this mean that one will see Delhi's streets next year lined not with trees and freshly painted roads but with pretty dames?

How utterly disgusting! Some other reports have even gone to the extent of suggesting that all Olympic and other games before this have sold out over a lakh condoms each. I mean, I don't understand. Are we talking about a platform which promotes games and healthy competition between different countries or are we here to pamper sexual urges and increased libidos of foreign tourists? If we are so sure of earning extra bucks at the backdrop of Commonwealth games and give a boost to the condom companies, let's get a reality check.

The point is athletes will be here to run and jump and play, and of course win medals. And visitors are expected to watch the games and cheer their teams and countries. We can at the most have some cheerleaders waving their colourful bands and ensure that event gets a little 'exciting' for foreign tourists. And what are we fretting about? Is there any lack of places to visit and things to see that we are so keen on other tactics to please the foreign tourists?

And last but not the least, let's look at it this way, the Commonwealth Games in Delhi is already clogged with too many controversies. Let's spare this one at least. The Organising Committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation Sports are constant loggerheads with each other. Guys, concentrate on the game; let the focus be the game and not sex.

With the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is in Thailand for the ASEAN summit, pledging to hold a spectacular show next year, we hope that we can stick to this one at least. We all know sex sells, but let's hold our horses. I am a woman and I have my pride. Thank you very much.

Nuzhat Aziz is City Editor of MiD DAY, Pune