The Happy Salesman—Providing Contraceptives to the Couples Who Need Them

Mr. Mittal, the owner of Mittal Medical Store in Agra, is pleased to show off his proficiency in promoting the use of condoms and oral contraceptive pills. Various organizations in the reproductive health sector have congratulated Mr. Mittal for this particular characteristic. Mr. Mittal recalls with amusement a time when he first started stocking condoms about six years ago. At first, the demand for condoms was very low; customers were embarrassed to ask for condoms; and even Mr. Mittal felt painfully awkward selling them. Mr. Mittal recalls with a sense of great achievement how much has changed in the past five years. Attitudes toward contraception are much more open, and he estimates that his condom and pill sales have increased by fivefold. Mr. Mittal has observed that though many men are still diffident when it comes to asking for condoms, women from lower and middle income levels come to him requesting specific contraceptive options with a growing sense of ease and comfort.