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Thirty-year-old Meenakshi, who has become a ray of hope and an inspiration for scores of people afflicted with HIV/AIDS in Tamil Nadu, was honoured by the state government for her extraordinary services.
A counsellor and spokesperson for Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) and South Indian AIDS Action Programme, she has taken the bold initiative of spearheading the AIDS awareness campaign in the state.
In a society full of stigma and discrimination of HIV-afflicted, Meenakshi, herself an HIV positive person, has not only dared to reveal her identity but is also a living proof that people like her can lead a normal life.
"I'm HIV positive too," she bravely declares before any audience and recounts her life story to show what an ocean of difference social support can do to the stigmatised lot.
In appreciation for her courage and steadfastness in doing extraordinary work in the field of AIDS awareness, the state honoured her on December 1, World AIDS Day.
In her own way, Meenakshi has been advocating awareness on HIV/AIDS and working with determination in a creative way to urge people to accept HIV positives.
An icon among the positive network in Chennai, she took the lead in forming the Society for Positive Mothers Development (SPMD) and brought discriminated women under one wing.
As TANSACS project director Supriya Sahu puts it, "The government wishes to recognise her efforts to highlight the issues of infected people. It is not an easy thing for people like Meenakshi to make their HIV status public and work on the human rights aspect to ward off stigma."
Dr Vinu Aaram, director of Shanthi Ashram, an NGO, said Meenakshi was the bridge among many people working in the area of AIDS awareness.
"Meenakshi narrates her story but at the same time has made it educative in a very creative way. Her experience as someone living with AIDS is invaluable to society and she has surely contributed in changing the course of the epidemic," Aaram added. (Agencies)
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TN honour for HIV positive activist
