August 2025
Namaste, my name is Suna Kasai. I live in Tuhurepasal. As always, today our discussion meeting was held at 7:30 in the morning. All the sisters gathered together, and we sat in a circle for the session. Each meeting is always centered around different and interesting topics—some that we know about but never really practice in daily life, and some that are completely new to us.
This morning, I found myself curious: What new and meaningful topic might we discuss today?
Just then, Miss greeted us with her warm “Namaskar,” pulling me out of my thoughts and bringing my attention back to the meeting. After reviewing the previous discussion, we moved toward today’s subject.
The topic was HIV/AIDS.
The moment I heard it, my mind was flooded with questions, doubts, and thoughts. Meera began by asking us, “Do you know what HIV/AIDS is?” One by one, everyone shared their understanding. Supporting our ideas, she explained that despite all the progress of modern times, HIV/AIDS has emerged as one of the greatest challenges faced by the global community.
She told us that this virus survives only inside the human body. It spreads mostly through sexual contact and the exchange of infected blood. Migrant workers and people involved in sex work are often at greater risk. I remembered hearing since childhood that AIDS entered our country from brothers working in India or abroad.
Then she asked, “Have you ever seen someone with AIDS? If yes, what symptoms did you notice?”
In our village, we had never openly discussed this, nor had I personally seen any patient. Because of that, I didn’t know much. Some friends who had a little knowledge shared what they knew. Meera then explained further—that the HIV virus is extremely tiny, it can enter almost any cell of our body, and in the early stages it causes symptoms like diarrhea, cough, cold, or fever that come and go. If an infected person gets injured, wounds can take longer to heal.
What surprised us most was when she said: “You cannot tell if someone has HIV just by looking at them. Only a blood test can confirm it. Even if someone is infected, it doesn’t show immediately. It may take up to six weeks for the test to detect it, and a person can look completely healthy for five to ten years.”
We were stunned.
It dawned on us that HIV/AIDS is not a disease that shows itself quickly. Meera also clarified that it does not spread by sitting together, sleeping beside someone, sharing clothes, or from mosquito bites. It spreads only through infected blood, semen, and vaginal fluids when the virus enters another person’s white blood cells.
Many of us, including me, had been carrying wrong beliefs about transmission. Some sisters already knew the facts, but for the rest of us, this discussion removed our doubts and fears. Meera also shared a real-life incident related to HIV/AIDS, which made everything clearer.
She reminded us of the wrong notions that were common in villages earlier:
- If one person in the family gets HIV, everyone in the household will get it.
- Mosquito bites spread HIV.
- An infected person will die immediately.
We learned today that all of these are myths.
Another important realization was about social attitudes. In our villages, infected people are often seen through a lens of shame, especially women returning from sex work. They are treated with disdain and judged harshly. But this, we understood, is completely wrong.
The discussion ended with deep reflection. Afterward, Meera came to my home for a visit, and I proudly showed her the diary I regularly keep.
From today’s session, I gained so much. I realized that some of the things I thought I knew were actually misconceptions. Now I have made a promise to myself: If I ever meet a person living with HIV, I will treat them with dignity and compassion, encourage them, and openly discuss this issue with others. I will stand by them as I would for anyone else.
This discussion did not just give me knowledge—it changed my perspective and strengthened my resolve to fight stigma with understanding and humanity.