Re: Film on HIV/AIDS

[Guest guest]

Dear Readers,

This is in regard to the suggestion of a film on AIDS

related issues.

We have had numerous films and documentaries made on

this subject since the epidemic started in India. A

majority of them have failed to have a lasting impact

on the mind. Discrimination and stigma towards this

disease continues to steam-roll all prevention and

care initiatives.

However, one can recall a Hindi film, " Anand " made a

long time back highlighting another chronic and

terminal disease of cancer. Besides, being a

commercial success it definitely had an effect on

minimising the stigma and fear towards cancer.

Similarly, a full length feature film with a good

script, a sensitive director and some leading stars

would certainly appeal to all, particularly to the

young mind.

Any takers??

Dr. S. N. Misra

E-mail: misranaco@...>

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[Guest guest]

[This is in response to the message from Samarendra Misra on " Film on HIV/AIDS " .

Moderator]

Dear Samarendra,

You are absolutely correct in what you say.

The Americans made the Philadelphia Story and starred Tom Hanks as the main

+ve character and that film and its contents seered itself into the hearts

and minds of viewers all over the western world.

From the time of that film and others that followed HIV had a face and a set

of emotions, even in the Corporate west, and people in the west began to

change their attitudes.

There is a book called Holding The Man by Tim Conigrave an Australian

biography of a couple living and dying with HIV and the family sensitivities

are very similar to what I am discovering about Indian culture and the sit

com indian tv that I watch and cannot understand suggests that there are

enough actors available to make this novel into a novel that might make

Indian families more conscious of the humanity of HIV. It is still the

social death that PLWHA's live with that kills them quicker here than where

I came from. Far too many +ve people are deemed to have passed their use-by

date far to early both in industry and commerce and in the family. It

doesn't have to be that way. There is life and happiness after diagnosis and

if it is not your lived experience i am interested in knowing why not...

what went or is going wrong for you.

Nine weeks have almost passed of my year in India and the time is right now

for +ve people to highlight what will make a social difference for them and

it is up to all of us to listen and to try to make that difference a reality

using whatever skills and abilities we've got.

The image of the little kid carrying his injured bigger brother comes to

mind. When asked isn't he too heavy for you to carry, his reply was he's not

heavy he's my brother.

Geoffrey

E-mail: <gheaviside@...>

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[Guest guest]

Hello Everyone,

I agree with Dr. Misra in that I think the AIDS

movie should have a lasting impact within the Indian

community. I feel that documentaries don't really

appeal to the masses and yet we are trying to

disseminate information to the masses whenever we do

AIDS Education and awareness work.

As Dr.Misra pointed out... " Anand " was a great movie

that dealt with stigma of cancer. Another movie

recently that did somewhat well was " Kya Kehna " where

they tackle the taboo issue of out of wedlock

pregnancy, and keeping the child.

Anyway this is just my opinion!

Sincerly

Manjusha Mishra " Rani "

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Rani Mishra

University of Illinois at Chicago

School of Public Health

MPH Candidate in Division of Community Health Sciences

Research Assistant, Center for Public Health Practice

312-733-4641(H) 847-372-5044©

E-mail: <ranimusa@...>

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[Guest guest]

[This is in response to Dr.S. N. Misra's posting on the proposed idea of making

a film on HIV/AIDS by the Mumbai based film maker Ramchandra. Moderator]

Dear Dr. Misra,

Greetings from VHAI!

This has reference to your email regarding the above mentioned subject. I work

with the Voluntary Health Association of India, VHAI, New Delhi and would take

this opportunity to introduce this organization. VHAI is a non-profit

organization with the federation of 25 State Voluntary Health Associations and

nearly 4000 member organizations. It is one of the largest existing health and

development networks.

You & other colleagues on the egroup would perhaps agree that even by all

conservative estimates for HIV infection in India, it goes without saying that

the country is in the vortex of an evolving epidemic by any standard. The

alarming trends observed in the sentinel surveillance leave no doubt that the

virus has made its way well into the general population. Yet, not withstanding

the decade long efforts to stall the menace by agencies, government and

non-government alike, social denial and complacency on the part of the community

is still all pervading.

VHAI has continued working on prevention and control of STDs & HIV/AIDS both at

policy and implementation level. Activities involve inputs in formulation of

NACO's policies, providing technical guidance and IEC support to State Voluntary

Health Associations (State VHAs) and member organizations and liaisoning and net

working with State and Central government and other agencies. Presently, VHAI

and the State VHAs are involved in capacity building and awareness generation

with some State VHAs also working on targeted interventions.

VHAI firmly believes that it is essential for health education material and

methods to be needbased. VHAI communicates through audiovisual, video and print

media and has developed training aids/ manuals, information booklets and an

audio on HIV/ AIDS.

VHAI has also made a video film on the lives of four HIV positive patients

entitled " ANANT " , which was premiered on STAR TV as well. It found coverage over

entire South East Asia and enjoyed a very high viewership. It is a 1 ½ hour film

which was directed by Mr. Raman Kumar, well known film director and had a star

cast that included Deepti Naval, Kanwaljeet Singh & Seema Biswas.

This film was also supported by the National AIDS Control Organization, NACO to

provide the film with sub-titles to all the State AIDS Control Organizations to

be viewed on the World AIDS Day 2000.

VHAI has considerable experience in the field of making films, some of which

have included Aparajita, story of an adolescent girl's aspirations, Kasba, a

series of films on various health issues, etc. In fact we thank Dr. Misra who

brought up this issue that gave me an opportunity to share this information on

VHAI's films & IEC material.

Instead of reinventing the wheel it would be appropriate to urge other

organizations to make use of existing material/ films.

With regards,

Yours sincerely,

Dr.Shaloo Puri

Program Officer, VHAI

E-mail: vhai@...>

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[Guest guest]

Thank you Shaloo for your contribution to this interesting discussion.

Reinventing the wheel is something I have been trying to avoid for the whole

30 years of my service ministry and so far I have visited so many good

services in India doing amazingly brilliant work and many of them are

becoming inspired to do things that other people have already done without

each other realising what the other has done.

It is timely for a pooling of resources and some very quick rationalising of

some priorities so that the momentum can be sustained, the problems

identified and dealt with and eliminate the accumulation of dead bodies that

are testifying to a very significant but marginalised minority of Indians

feeling that there is no way other than to suicide.

Your Human Rights Commission of India has a significant body of work to do to

demythologise what is Indian and non Indian from a human rights perspective. To

say that same sex attracted people in India who amount to about 100 million

indians is a western phenomenon and does not belong to Indian peoples and their

history is a highly repugnant place to stand.

I call on those with connections in this part of India's legislature to engage

with their counterparts in the developed world and as a matter of urgency repeal

laws and assist in changing community attitudes so everyone has a chance to

live. I can't get the images out of my mind of two daughters of fine Indian

families walking together into the forest in Coimbitore and in the true

spirit of Shakespeare declare to the world that in India they do not have a

place to live.

I don't want to allude to the girls in Kerala or the girls in Sri-Lanka, dozens

of them, who took the same course of action. VHIA please keep up the good work,

Publish resources with reviews or study guides and tell us all about them so

that we can share in the resources. The momentum is happening and there is no

turning back.

Geoffrey

E-mail: <gheaviside@...>

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