Nearly 100 men, who have had unsafe sexual relations with as many as 15 to 20 women, besides their wives, claim to have converted to masturbation. They say that they now masturbate instead of seeking having sex with another woman when their wife is away, or when they merely want to satiate their sex drive.

Though they know that promiscuity means risking disease, they rarely use condoms. And misconceptions about masturbation -- that it exhausts the ``stock'' of semen, that it leads to infertility and impotence etc -- kept them from masturbating.

By dispelling the myths and enlightening the villagers on the dangers of unsafe sex, health activists of the Deepak Foundation are trying to make them give up promiscuity.

What was more surprising, though it actually helped the NGO to reduce unsafe sex, was that these men claimed to get equal satisfaction from sex and from masturbation.

There are many like Pradip Gohil (name changed), who said, "Most of my sexual escapades were quickies, either in the field or elsewhere, in which the time I usually had was just five-ten minutes. So the real pleasure of proper sex accompanied by foreplay and petting was never there. Masturbation is just the same -- five-ten minutes.''

Gohil, like many others, first had sex in the fields, as a 10-year-old. His partner was nearly the same age. He grew up knowing more women, and had been lately going to sex workers at the nearby highway dhabas, where they service truck-drivers. Never did he bother to use condoms.

The same was the case with Raman Patel. Asked why didn't he use condoms when they were easily available, Patel said, ``At the opportune time, one has no time going to look for condoms. We have to do it quickly to ensure nobody notices. And then the desire may not remain by the time one comes back with a condom.'' Till his belief that masturbation will weaken him and take away all his semen was not rubbed out, Patel would hardly ever masturbate.

Now, he tries to stick to a single partner. When the urge for sex is compelling, he masturbates. Or, if he seeks out another partner, he makes sure to use a condom.

Under the sexual health project in the villages, Deepak activists have contacted over 3,750 people and the ice has been broken with 123 men and 342 women who are now discussing their sex problems without hesitation.

``And most of these man have converted to masturbation and reduced going to other women,'' says Aruna Lakhani, Chief Coordinator of Deepak Medical Foundation.

She says the ``the intervention strategy'' under the project was framed after holding as many as 89 meetings with the villagers. While on the project, they found ``some surprising misconceptions and shocking sexual practices prevalent in the area. Instances of a married man having an affair with a married woman, who was already going around with yet another man, who in turn is having physical relations with still another woman are many.'' So the project undertook two activities, besides starting of STD clinics in the villages, distribution of condoms, creating awareness, holding workshops and distribution of material.

``Though it may sound a bit strange, creating awareness about masturbation and getting it implemented could prove a major help in AIDS control. I have even referred the project and our experiences to the State Health department, '' says Lakhani.

Another thing that has been started is to make people agree to accept remarriage of widows, who were found more prone to excessive sex. She says for the villagers, widow remarriage is taboo. ``But realising that they are sitting on a virtual AIDS bomb that can engulf entire colonies, the villages are showing willingness to change,'' says Lakhani.