Re: Bula-di - AIDS awareness campaign in Kolkata

[Guest guest]

Dear Mallika and the FORUM,

Buladi's reply of " you and your husband immediately go and get yourself tested "

sends out a pragmatic message, the need of the hour! Hoardings are a tool of

limited communication we must accept, and therefore should only send lucid

messages for immediate and necessary action by the reader. In my opinion, care

and support should supersede issues of `morality' in the HIV/AIDS context given

the life threatening consequences of the epidemic.

However, what can be done is by having an asterix at the bottom corner of the

hoarding saying that the advice given by Buladi above is the immediate step that

one must take and for more detailed advice and help a central counselling

centre's number be contacted.

Hope the above sounds rational.

Best,

Reshmi Sarkar

e-MAIL: <aidslaw2@...>

[Guest guest]

Hello Mallika:

As regards the Buladi campaign. The issues you have raised are very important

and they should be raised. But I am thinking when you are giving messages about

HIV/AIDS to women-- preventing or treating HIV/AIDS should take the center

place.

I think that message should not get lost among other issues. Because if she

becomes infected from her husband-- dealing with it would take the center place

in her life. If she finds herself to be negative-- then she can deal with other

issues-- may leave her husband or go for counselling etc and most of all avoid

sexual contact.

The testing center should tell her how dangerous it would be for her to have sex

with an adulterous man. But if she finds her self to be positive-- dealing with

an adulterous husband would be the least of her concern-- then she will have her

own treatment and her children to think about.

But as far as she is concerned -- her first order of business would be to go for

testing-- with or without her husband.

Thanks.

Sathi Dasgupta.

E-mail: <sathi_dasgupta@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Mallika,

This is in response to Buladii's advice to the housewife in the ad.The questions

raised by you are quite right.The indian minds are so tuned to the male

domination that they don't even realise that some thing wrong has been said or

mentioned. How else do such campaigns see the light of the day?

Poor Buladi is the mouthpiece of some male chuvanist or otherwise a(an

unintended but foolish) terrible mistake of projecting women in worst form of

social injustice.

The campaign clearly takes the side of the husband who has a right to display

his 'manly' power,control and aggression that leads to the violation of the body

and mind of his wife, her self-respect and dignity.

It is depressing, sad and very dishearteting that we the people of India have

remianed so insensitive. The campaign makes one realise that we have a long way

to go before we improve. The reason is we don't even realise that we have made

a mistake. Where is the question of rectfying it then?

Dr.Divya

E-mail: <d_mithel@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

I don't think communication campaigns are either piloted or screened for their

gender or sexuality- related messages. Even in the past, IEC campaigns have

maligned vulnerable groups leading to further stigmatization/ discrimination

against them and misinformation about HIV itself.

A recent HIV- related campaign in UP which used Bollywood movie titles as

slogans was pulled off after several positive people's

networks protested against them.

What this perhaps indiactes is the lack of understanding of the various

dimensions of HIV and the complexity involved in communicating a medical,

behavioral as well as socio- cultural message.

We perhaps are still operatng in the family planning IEC mode of trying to

hammer in some messages and therefore fail to connect to people's lived

realities.

While IEC campaigns by themselves cannot effect social or behavioral change,

they do help to open up discussions around an issue and therefore it becomes

imperative that they be caerfully designed to ensure not just popularity but

also accuracy and sensitivity

to different groups of people and keeping them value- free and non- judgemental.

Akhila Panchamukhi

e-MAIL: <akhila_punch@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

An engaging discussion on this campaign. While I do confess that I do not know

the details of this campaign, I have indeed seen some of the hoardings around

Kolkata.

While people make have critical comments to make about this (and other) mass

media campaigns, let us first and foremost remember to

congratulate the implementers of the campaign. The WBSACS and its Project

Director Mr. Suresh Kumar should be congratulated for communicating HIV/AIDS

prevention messages in a creative manner that demands attention and generates

discussion and a call to action. All too often public service announcements are

dull are boring. This one certainly is not!

A wise man said 'I don't know the secret to success, but the secret to failure

is trying to please everyone.' So to the team at WBSACS, my personal hurrah for

your efforts. I am sure you will take into account relevant comments and improve

the campaign the next time around. But I hope it should not deter you from

launching the next phase.

Regards,

Sanjay

Sanjay Chaganti

Program Director

PSI India

www.psiopl.org

e-MAIL: <schaganti@...>