TOI Article on Udaan's contribution to HIV movement in Pune

June 24, 2002

Udaan: Dedicated to problems of gays

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2002 12:00:52 AM ]PUNE: They may be a

laughing stock for many because of their effeminate mannerisms, but they are

doing for the society what very few will do.

For over a year now, a group of 30-odd homosexuals from Udaan, a trust dedicated

to solving problems faced by the sexual minority, have silently shouldered the

responsibility of counselling and offering medical help to gays in the city who

suffer from HIV and AIDS. The group members differentiate between themselves as

“kothis” (more effeminate) and “panthis”.

They help other members of the community, especially those from the lower strata

of the society. They distribute condoms in areas where menseeking-men (m-s-m)

activities take place, take part in pre- and post-HIV/AIDS- test counselling,

provide free treatment to the needy and also conduct support group meetings for

people living with HIV/AIDS.

Vice-president of Udaan Vijay Nair said socio-cultural, religious and family

pressures force many “kothis” and “panthis” to get married. They have hardly any

choice but to give in to pressures and face the problems, he said, adding, “This

leads to a range of psychological problems, like depression and fear, among

them.”

Lack of education and poor finances force most “kothis” and “panthis” to take up

prostitution, Nair said. It was to help the m-s-m community that Udaan was

formed. Although there are no official figures available, a survey conducted by

Udaan in 2001 revealed that there are approximately 30,000 ‘kothis’ in the city.

This spurred the organisation to form a team of 30 peer educators and outreach

workers, who are themselves HIV positive, to run a condom distribution

programme. Today, the team distributes around 5,000 condoms in areas which are

hubs of m-s-m activities.

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