Sharmila Tagore: UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador on impact of AIDS on children

[Guest guest]

Sharmila Tagore is UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

New Delhi,PTI

Bollywood star of yesteryears and and Censor Board chairperson

Sharmila Tagore was today nominated as the 'Goodwill Ambassador' of

UNICEF to raise awareness about the impact of AIDS on children in

India.

Tagore, who celebrated her 59th birthday today, joined a host of

celebrities like , Jackie Chan, Shakira and our own

Amitabh Bachchan and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, to become a popular face

to highlight the problems faced by children.

The dimpled actress, who stole millions of hearts in the 60s, said

she knew it was a responsible and demanding role and hoped Indians

would support her changeover from a peddler of fantasy to that of

the real world.

" This is a wonderful birthday gift, a touching gesture. I would

speak of behalf of children, their rights, their needs and their

future because every child has the right to live in a community,

country and the world, " she said. " Children are often ignored when

it comes to AIDS and it is high time we recognise the potential of

the deadly disease to wreak havoc on childhood. We need to stand

between children and death, " she said.

" Children are often absent in the minds of policy makers,

pharmaceutical companies, and other lords and masters. They are easy

to be forgotten because they do not have purchasing power, can't

vote, can't form pressure groups, " she said.

Tagore, who has worked with UNICEF on polio eradication programmes,

will soon kickstart a campaign tour with her first stop being Andhra

Pradesh besides conducting interviews and working on a film that

depicts the plight of HIV-infected children.

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