Celebration of AIDS Day in Kerala !

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

I am sad to write letters like this, but somebody should. Yesterday, we did

" celebrate " the World AIDS Day. As I was away participating in our own

organisations efforts in World AIDS day, I couldn't attend the day long

celebration organised by the Kerala State AIDS Control Society, except the

evening programme, held in the premises of 'Kanakakunnu Palace',

Thiruvananthapuram. To start with the settings, there was only three small

writings in our vernacular language, malayalam, on the corners of the vast

hoarding placed behind the podium. The message was clear, they are not

addressing the public but there masters in Delhi and the world over, who

will be watching the television programmes. This years message is " Live and

Let Live: Ending Stigma and Discrimination. " , but you don't see not even

one positive person on the stage. There is CPK+, an organisation of the

positive people, whose members are ready to talk directly to the public.

But the KSACS thinks it is a waste of effort to bring these people. There

are more than 50 projects in the state working among the so called ' high

risk groups', none of them were represented. Again it is the State

Management Agency (SMA), who guides almost all these projects and it is not

represented. We could see the director of SMA, siting lonely among the

crowd, as if he is an unwanted person.

Now we have, one MLA and two MPs on the stage along with Director of Health

Service, Director of Medical Education, representative of IMA, president of

Partners Forum Kerala , the NGO representative , Health Secretary and whole

of KSACS members. The preaching and sermon on morality started with the

MLA, who chaired the function, continued with both the MPs. Then one by

one the others extolled the words spoken by the politicians, which is a

disaster in itself. The saddest part came when the MP, who is suppossed to

give the message ' Live and let live' forgot to do it. They, the

politicians, left immediately after their 'performance'. The eulogy

continued and the last nail came in the form of words by the NGO

representative, when he said by the words spoken by the politicians truly

show their understanding of the situation. Only the SAPO in her valedictory

speech conveyed the message.

Then the ultimate shock of the day came in the guise of cinematic dance,

political mimickery, songs and music, with no hint why it is held. Usually

there will be some reference, at least in passing, why it is held. It was a

terrific treat at the expense of PLWHAs, AIDS patients and other

stigmatized groups like sexworkers, MSM community, we work with. We could

see the dignitaries of the Health department enjoying the whole show.

Now about the audience, girls of all the womens' colleges and nursing

students where brought in hordes by the wardens, to fill the empty seats.

These girls suffer through all these speeches in the town when ever the

govt. holds these type of functions. But they knew there is some

entertainment at the end of the tunnel, which they eagerly awaited for.

Thus came the curtain to our real celebration of the spread of AIDS in

Kerala. If AIDS spreads in our state we could very well thank KSACS. Amen.

Now I shudder to think about the rest of the programmes in the morning and

afternoon, which luckily I didn't participate.

I may not have lived to write this !.

Love

Maitreya

E-mail: <maitreya@...>

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