Better safe than sari.

A little Beeb tells us that weavers in Varanasi rub condoms - state issue if they can get them - on their looms' shuttles, to soften them, thereby speeding up the weaving process. Feel free to add your alternate headlines in the comments box.
Also in the same article, these, er, unorthodox uses for condoms.

Villagers use them to carry water when working in fields
For waterproofing ceilings: condoms are spread under the cement-concrete mortar
Can be mixed with tar and concrete to give a smooth finish to roads
Can be placed over the ends of guns to protect them in desert sandstorms
Drugs 'mules' swallow condoms filled with drugs to smuggle them across borders