Long live Balbir Pasha!

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I have been following the pasha controversy for some time now. Just cant

understand what really is the issue that some people and organisations are

creating all the ruckus about ??

It is a fact that 4 out of 5 people in Mumbai know exactly what Balbir Pasha is

all about, and more importantly, the message going out in the campaign. I havent

heard a single man on the sreet complain about the campaign being misleading,

not one woman says it is sexist and discriminatory, I am sure not a single sex

worker feels victimised and even the most conservative of all feel that the

campaign has done well to bring the issue of unprotected sex and AIDS out of the

closet and got people talking about it. Now correct me if I am wrong, but isnt

this what an awareness campaign is supposed to do.

For the moral police (whose mandate I cant understand. i.e. exactly whose

opinion do you guys represent ????), you can make a staid old campaign, all nice

and preachy, politically infallable, staying miles away from that three letter

word (SEX) and the 6 letter one (CONDOM) and what you will get is exactly what

we have been getting for the last 20 years - a campaign that just wont connect,

and believe you me, THAT IS WHAT WILL BE A REAL WASTE.

Just to conclude, to all the guys who rubbish this campaign and call it a waste,

i think you must join hands with the people behind Pasha. Balbir Pasha has set

the ball rolling. For the first time Mumbaikars are talking about AIDS. If all

NGO's/activists can join hands and keep Pasha alive and talking, I think you

will be doing a great service to HIV/AIDS awareness in the city. In an ideal

world, Balbir Pasha should unite all organisations working for AIDS awareness

and become a mascot for this drive.

Or else we can have a few of you with a doubtful mandate showcasing the typical

'FROGS IN A WELL' attitude in full glory. And if you really want to do this,

please don't pat your backs celebrate your success. The termination of this

campaign is a time for mourning for all those who really want to eliminate the

scourge from our cities.

WHAT A WASTE !!!!

" Tarun Goswami "

E-mail: <tarung123@...

[Guest guest]

Dear Tarun,

At times is a fight of individual Ego's. We in development are far less

concerned about the devewlopment and more towards our own ego. You know when

the dons will read it they will say I am a frustrated person. I have in

development only for 13 years and am finding it a excellent experience.

To tell you the fact the common man is never heard of the prevention

techniques to the fullest extent or does not have the time to react for such

petty issues. All they need is entertaiment and infotainment so that they

can make themselves safe from HIV/Hepatitis B/Hepatitis C.

Till date there is no policy decision as to what is pornography in

development and what is not. Just buy a single packet of a condom and see

the picture on it. No one makes a shout.See the print material published by

the pundits 5 years back and you will be surprised to see now who is

shouting.

The miss india and miss world is another example or see the maximum film

industry, no one makes a shout, but high officials and development dons love

to attend the same and only make a shout to gain and get mileage in the

national and international forums so that people who are working come to

them walking on their knees and grease their inflated ego's in the form of

advise.

Recently I had posted a posting of a WEEK article, " Theatre of the Adsurd "

(attached below for your kind perusal).Only 4 people responded on this of this

larger forum, saying that they support the atrocities. All the HIV Pundits

do not have to say anything on this, as their focussed need is to sack a NGO

who is doing good work for the masses.

A Debate is certainly required as to what is right and what is wrong. We

have a collection of 400 posters collected over the issue of HIV from 1994

onwards. If sometime you are in Lucknow, come to me I will show you the

disasters we have created through publicity over the time and now we are

talking of eradicating fear and stigma from the minds of the people. We

create the stigma and then seek funding support to clear the stigma.

Do not get dismayed this is a power play of the dons of these NGO who are

fearful of the growth and good work carried out by PSI.

Message reattached for your kind perusal.

_______________________________________________

January 10,2003

Dear Sir / Madam

Please refer to " The Week " dated December 22, 2002. The article on Page

Number 28 to Page no. 30 “ The Theatre Of The Absurd”. Some paragraphs of the

article is attached for your kind perusal.

“Saharanpur District of Uttar Pradesh. The primary health center is proud of

its Staff innovativene spirit. In Place of High precision pneumoperitoneum

insufflation equipment that pumps air into the abdomen of women undergoing

laproscopic sterilization surgery, they use a bicycle pump!”

“In fact, the same glove is used for all the 35 women operated upon at the

sterilization camp that day”

Mirzapur.“In the operation theatre, the doctor lives up to his reputation.

He is through with 20 patients in the first hour. The theatre has three

tables and given the speed at which operations are rushed through, it is

well nigh impossible to either change blood stained sheets or sterilized the

equipment.”

________________________________

The situation described is totally violating the norms of the medical ethics

and rights of the people. Looking at this article under the lens of HIV/AIDS

it seems we are consciously preparing the grounds of the pandemic ourselves.

As we all have a agenda and a mandate over the various aspects of HIV/ AIDS

or work with the women, children, RCH services, we request to come under a

neutral banner, keep the ego’s on the back burner, to jointly express our

deep sympathies to the sufferer and the persons causing the sufferings.

Express sympathies towards the puppet and the puppeteers. Join hands to get

this issue immediately investigated and request for corrective action in the

system.

Till date we had only heard that contribution in spreading of the HIV virus,

Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C, is equally of fellow human beings and the medical

infrastructure but looking at this article it gets proved as well.

We look forward for joint action and a safe & Healthy life free from HIV /

AIDS Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C on this planet earth with your help or die at

least with dignity.

With regards,

(SPARSH TEAM)

Sanjeev Jain

Coordinator, SPARSH

B-163,Indira Nagar, Lucknow-226016,INDIA

Email: sparshaids@..., sanj1966@...