If it’s in-your-face, it’s because that’s exactly what it’s meant to be. A clutch of collegians in the student city of Pune have decided that it’s time people learnt to talk openly about AIDS and HIV. They have also learnt that since lectures are antediluvian and nothing succeeds like shock when you want some undivided attention, they need to redefine the rules about spreading the good word.
“Of course, my parents freaked out when they saw me wearing this tee, but when I sat them down and explained to them that the whole idea is to make people afflicted with it have the courage to come out and talk about it to reduce both the spread and stigma against AIDS, they came around,” says 21-year-old Shweta Sangtiani who along with a whole lot of other youngsters regularly walks down the city’s busiest streets wearing the message. “The stares I get are a mix of shock, disgust and amazement. But then there are also many who come up and ask me why I am wearing this T-shirt. This gives me the chance to explain to them about AIDS, its spread and why we need to be educated about,” adds the fourth-year law student.
“A lot of stuff that we do is trendy and cool. You need to have that approach for people to listen to you,” drawls Yuvraaj Oberoi, a 22-year-old engineer who runs the eight-month-old Freak e-magazine. With the site featuring a segment on HIV awareness every month, Oberoi is busy putting the final touches on the AIDS Rock Band competition based on the theme of AIDS. Eight city bands are in the fray for the contest that starts on October 9 with the finale happening on November 15. For the elimination rounds, the bands will have to render their versions of the number ‘HIV positive’ recorded by the Scottish folk band Herman Death Willy Tail. The winner band gets to play at the World AIDS Day celebrations on December 1.
... contd.
