The Positive In HIV Positive

[Guest guest]

THE POSITIVE SIDE

The Positive Side of the Modis makes you look at AIDS more humanely

Prachi Raturi

A snowflake melting on your face. Autumn leaves dancing outside your

window. Things you might love, but take for granted. Sometimes, one has to

remind oneself that life is beautiful.

The Positive Side, a coffee tabler to be launched by Samir Modi next week,

is about such constant reminders of life’s beauty, of simple truths that

exist or should exist, even if you are HIV positive. A rather unusual topic

for a coffee tabler? But the book is interesting in the sense that it’s

almost like the disease itself, glossy, wanting to be talked about the first

time you flip through it, but once you are past the glossy, gossipy facade,

it’s interesting, human in the extreme. It’s about people whose lives have

changed, not just because of AIDS, but also because they’ve suddenly

realised life is to be lived. What adds to the experience of the book is the

simple language, powerful images and the fact that they are real stories.

As Mr Modi puts it, the book is not “meant to be another cold, statistical

analysis of the disease”. And it is not. The main idea behind the book is

“mobilising information and reaching people who can make a change”. Once you

look beyond HIV, how people get it, the myths that crowd your mind, the

little and big apprehensions that trouble each of us, it could be story of

you and me, the person you travel with or your neighbour’s pony-tailed

little daughter.

There are stories like that of economics-whiz ‘ Minor’, who is still a

fresh memory in the mind of her college professor friend. A text in the

story reads; “Ten long years of teaching. Of framing deadly question

papers... And to think I wanted to become a model. Sometimes I feel like I’m

stuck in the world’s most cruel profession. Mala ( Minor) would have

disagreed. But then, we never really had anything in common.”

There are lines you’d like to read through again. There’s the story of

nine-year-old Victor, who says, “That stupid monster is troubling me again.

But just you wait mister monster. When I’m feeling better, I’ll do every fun

thing. You’ve won today, but I’m going to beat you tomorrow. I’m not called

Victor for nothing.”

Then there are simple, but touching lines like that of an HIV positive

person, “I discovered nothing is permanent, the universe is a television, it

helps to go back to basics”. Or another girl’s simple logic, “Two things are

sure. I am going to die with AIDS. But I have made up my mind that I am

going to live with AIDS as well.”

What adds another dimension to the book is that it has been produced by a

corporate house. And given the Modis’ dedication to the AIDS problem, their

contribution to spreading awareness about it, the book is not pure fluff

from a first timer. The book, explains Mr Modi, “is an attempt at removing

the stigma attached to AIDS and HIV.”

How does Mr Modi intend to reach out to people who are really affected,

people beyond the coffee tablers? Explains Mr Modi, “I am personally writing

to people I know, people who can contribute to changing things. We are

already in the process of tying up with various school and college

libraries, community libraries and NGOs to make the book available to a

wider base of readers.”

- THE FINANCIAL EXPRESS

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