A group of HIV-positive men and women are staging a play in Calcutta to spread awareness about Aids.
The cast comprises people undergoing treatment for HIV/Aids but the play is directed by Ajay Naskar, a doctor who is not HIV-positive.
The play, billed as the first by HIV/Aids sufferers in India, is the brainchild of the Bengal Network for Positives, a West Bengal government-run outfit campaigning against social discrimination of people with HIV. India has the highest number of HIV/Aids cases in the world after South Africa, with 5 million infected, according to the World Health Organisation.
'There are many creative individuals among those who have tested positive for Aids. We are trying to showcase their talent. The play, Banchar Lorai, or Fight for Survival, educates the common man about Aids and its prevention through safe sex,' said the network's Tarit Chakraborty.
'We are also fighting ostracism of HIV-positive people. There are so many misconceptions about Aids that some HIV-positive persons have been stoned to death or burned alive in remote areas of West Bengal.'
After successfully staging the hour-long play in Calcutta, Mr Chakraborty is planning performances in other cities and towns of the eastern state.
