Aphrodisiacs with objectionable labels raise eyebrows at MP govt fair

Aphrodisiacal herbs with objectionable names are being sold at the five-day International Herbal Fair in Bhopal. The seller, who claimed that he operated from Indore and Mumbai, even gave a visiting card to HT.

Updated on: Dec 20, 2014, 18:02:30 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

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Aphrodisiacal herbs with objectionable names like ‘herb for having sex with many girls’, ‘herb for having sexual prowess like a horse’ and ‘girl remains under control through sex’ are being sold at the five-day International Herbal Fair that started here on Friday, embarrassing the women who visit the fair.

The event is being organised by the forest department and Madhya Pradesh State Minor Forest Produce (Trade and Development) Co-operative Federation Ltd. When HT visited the fair, at one stall, it found scores of coloured packets with objectionable names being sold without any hassle.

The seller, who claimed that he operated from Indore and Mumbai, even gave a visiting card to HT, stating that most of the medicines were related to various sexual aliments and weaknesses.

Many visitors, especially the women, who stopped by the stall to check the names on the packets, could not believe that such objectionable claims were being made through herbal medicines in an international fair organised by the state government.

“This is ridiculous and so embarrassing. We come to an event which is being promoted as an international herbal fair by the state government. You don’t expect such stuff being sold here under the very nose of the government. It is so derogatory. I want the CM to get such stalls removed from the fair at the earliest,” said Monica Sharma, (22), a resident of Subash Nagar.

This is not the first time that sellers making controversial claims have found space in the fair organised by the government. In May last year, a controversial claim was made at the Bhopal Science Fair that Agnihotra Yagyna could protect one from the deadly Methyl Isocynate (MIC), popularly known as Bhopal gas.

In February this year, again at Bhopal Science Fair organised by MP Council of Science and Technology (MPCST) in collaboration with Vigyan Bharti, it was being claimed that ‘cow urine can act as a protection against cancer and other 108 diseases’.

What govt has to say?
“We are not aware about such objectionable stuff on display at the fair. We will surely look into the matter on Saturday and take appropriate action. I admit it is quite derogatory to put such medicines with objectionable names on display. We were busy with the inauguration today, but such a thing will not be allowed,” said MK Sinha, additional managing director, Madhya Pradesh State Minor Forest Produce (Trade and Development) Co-operative Federation Ltd.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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