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 The
HIV/AIDS affected are entitled to enjoy all emotional and
humanitarian support society and family normally give to
patients of other diseases, says well-known actor Kamal Haasan,
the UN ambassador for the Protection of the Rights of the HIV
Positive.
Speaking to media after donning the new role
in real life, he said, "A normal person yearns for the tender
loving care of his/her family in times of any sickness. It is
consoling to have our dear ones around us. Then why do we deny
it to the HIV +ve?''
The disease should be considered like any
other infirmity and society should desist from any kind of
discrimination to the affected. ''It is up to a family to decide
on its attitude towards an HIV-affected member. I come from a
family of strong devouts, but it has been positive to my being
an atheist,'' he said.
He said as a member of the film fraternity,
he felt that cine artistes should use their ''star power'' to
create awareness about the disease and provide a platform to
fight for the rights of the HIV-affected. Asked whether he
wished to direct/act in a film with a strong anti-HIV message
like Prabhu Deva's 'Prarambha', an internationally aclaimed
Kannada movie, he said, ''Films can easily pass on the message.
But now I am unable to think of such an endeavour due to time
constraints.''
 He
said, ''There should be more of governmental efforts to contain
the disease and to ensure rehabilitation of the unfortunate. The
disease has a wider prevalence - cutting across religion,
country and ethnicity. Hence, the message against it also should
have an international appeal. No one can shirk the
responsibility of spreading an anti-HIV/AIDS message, because it
concerns us all,'' Kamal said
Kamal, known for his prowess in wielding the
megaphone and writing scripts, besides singing, has written a
pledge in English and Tamil for the multi-media campaign. The
pledge has been titled ''This I Promise'' in English and ''Ini
Oru Vithi Seyvom'' in Tamil.
 ''We
are launching the campaign here as women would be an important
part of this campaign,'' the film hero said, addressing an
overflowing gathering of students in a well-known women's
college, here.
People living with HIV/AIDS were often
subjected to discrimination and stigmatisation permeating every
aspect of life like employment, medical treatment, care and
custody of children and other social relationships, UN Team
Coordinator Pieter Bult, TANSACS Project director Supriya Sahu
and Kamal said.
 The
essence of the campaign, the majority of which would be in
Tamil, was a promise to uphold the rights of people living with
HIV. ''People living with HIV have the same rights as I do: to
live, to grow, to dream and be part of this world. I promise to
uphold their rights and give them strength.....,'' said Kamal.
Padmavathy, a HIV postive woman who is also
president of 'HIV Positive' women's association, narrated the
rights abuses she had gone through after being diagnosed as HIV
positive soon after her marriage to a HIV positive man.
S Raghunathan
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