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Imagine a spirited a cappella song that lasts just a few seconds and consists only of the word condom—repeated almost 50 times. It's not exactly what one would expect to become a popular ringtone among India's estimated 270 million cell phone users, who typically download films or religious songs. But, in this country where sex education is still taboo in many areas, the ringtone was downloaded about 300,000 times in the first month since its launch in August.

The BBC World Service Trust, a charity organization run by the media giant, launched the condom ringtone in India to spread awareness about HIV prevention. The BBC Trust hopes that the tune will portray condoms as acceptable among smart, upwardly mobile youth and remove the image of promiscuity that condoms conjure in India.

But the true impact of such campaigns is debated. The latest national family health survey covering 2005–2006 found that 70% of men knew about condoms, but only 40% of unmarried men who engage in high-risk sex had used one the last time they had intercourse.

Experts also emphasize that such ringtone campaigns should go hand-in-hand with information about condom availability. “The message needs to be backed up with accessible services. The message is about technology, but it needs more information on where condoms are available and who is to use them,” points out public health researcher Ritu Priya of the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.