HIV positive people break barrier, literally

New Delhi, March 16: More than three decades after the first HIV case was officially reported in India, the community of infected people Tuesday took a huge step towards coming out of the closet and breaking barriers by releasing a book featuring their photographs.

"For the first time in India, you are seeing the faces of HIV positive people published as it is," J. Goswami, who heads the Indian Network of Positive (INP+) people, told IANS.

"So far, HIV positive people never allowed their faces to be published without being blurred or covered but we have come out of the closet, showing the real faces to the world. This is a great step in the direction of social assimilation," Goswami added.

Now, HIV positive people are ready to be named and photographed and this book is a real success story in that direction, she said.

The book, "Positive Journey", portrays the life of nearly 100 HIV positive people through photos and short biographical life stories.

Stanley Joseph, project manager of INP+, said the publication is the culmination of the network's hard work among the community.

"This book is a testimony of reducing stigma in our society. We have portrayed them with their families, at work and with children too. The stigma has reduced but it is still there," Joesph added.

He said the book has focused mainly on six high-prevalence states - Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur and Nagaland. India is home to at least 2.3 million HIV positive people.