Positive about HIV

In a state where HIV is fast assuming epidemic proportions, this five-year-old group, which works closely with the Manipur State Aids Control Society, has no qualms about acknowledging its members8217; positivity. They believe their openness will help the society they live in as also those who share their status. 8216;8216;An HIV-positive person might be hesitant to confide in people as the in-group and out-of-the-group philosophy comes into play. But the moment we tell him about our HIV status, there8217;s an instant feeling of trust,8217;8217; says Deepak, 34.

With branches in seven of the state8217;s nine districts, the Manipur Network has more than 200 HIV-positive people working as volunteers. Each of their centres has care staff and counsellors to guide HIV-positive people. 8216;8216;We focus on looking at life beyond the disease. Life doesn8217;t end with the infection,8217;8217; says 40-year-old Banta Singh, president of the organisation and architectural engineer. 8216;8216;We want to tell people that they can lead long and healthy lives with the right intervention and the proper diet.8217;8217;

It might sound simple enough, but as any member of the group will say, it8217;s an uphill job all the way. 8216;8216;HIV-positive people face discrimination even from the educated and the aware,8217;8217; says Banta. 8216;8216;One day in our Chennai office, a friend slipped and broke his nose. As we were running about, trying to organise an ambulance, the neighbours 8212; all well-educated professionals 8212; came to know about our HIV status. And nobody came forward to help. Worse, they insisted that we vacate the premises. Fortunately, our landlady stood by us.8217;8217;

According to Bobby, a 37-year-old lawyer now working full time with the organisation, the baggage is comparatively much less in Manipur. 8216;8216;In a state with an alarmingly high incidence of HIV, every family knows an HIV-positive person,8217;8217; he points out. 8216;8216;So the stigma is less. Despite that, when we formed our group in 1997, we had to keep moving from one office to another, with our files packed into that tin trunk. Finally, after two years, we could set up office over here.8217;8217;

But 8216;8216;settling down8217;8217; had its own problems. 8216;8216;We lived with the constant fear of getting caught as, around that time, some groups had taken it upon themselves to punish drug-addicts. Most of our members, by the way, contracted the virus through intravenous drug use,8217;8217; says Deepak. 8216;8216;Declaring one8217;s status was a big risk.8217;8217;

Deepak himself came out publicly with his status when a couple came to him crying after they had tested positive for HIV. 8216;8216;No amount of counselling could convince them that they could lead normal lives until I presented myself as an example,8217;8217; he says.

While encouraging openness, the group emphasises that declaring one8217;s status must be contingent on a proper back-up system. 8216;8216;Since this is a small place, everyone knows everyone else. A daughter of one of our counsellors faced constant taunts from her classmates because of the HIV-status of her parents. So she had to go to school to take up the matter,8217;8217; says Yukami, whose husband died of AIDS.

Just as children are cause for concern, so are women. 8216;8216;If a man dies of AIDS, his parents will hold her responsible for the death. They think women get infected only due to errant behaviour,8217;8217; says Yukami. 8216;8216;Society is more than a little biased against women.8217;8217;

The group also believes the media have a major role to play in removing these misconceptions. 8216;8216;The image portrayed by the media when the disease first came to light gave people a very wrong impression of the disease. Even if people don8217;t stigmatise the victim, the stigma towards the disease persists,8217;8217; says Banta.

8216;8216;We are doing our work, but we8217;ll know things have changed only when the world treats HIV as just another disease, not a taboo,8217;8217; adds Bobby. On that note, the discussion draws to a close. But the quiet determination in the air refuses to fade away.