Join us on May 1st...

May 2007 New York – American India Foundation and Bose Pacia Gallery presents Put it On, a solo exhibition by the artists known as Thukral & Tagra. The gallery is located at 508 West 26th Street on the 11th Floor, in the Chelsea district of New York City. On May 1^st, 2007 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, there will be a panel discussion on the exhibition aimed at promoting HIV/AIDS Awareness with the artists, Rema Nanda Director, AIF Public Health/HIV/AIDS and Mandeep Bedi, Leadership Council member, AIF SAHAYA.

American India Foundation’s SAHAYA- Youth Against AIDS program is a new initiative to mobilize young professionals, and their creative, business and interpersonal skills to combat HIV/AIDS in India. AIF believes that the growing influence of young professionals makes them strong ambassadors for promoting healthy lifestyles among their counterpart in India who are increasingly vulnerable to the fast spreading HIV/AIDS virus.

The American India Foundation (AIF) is a non-profit organization charged with the mission of accelerating social and economic change in India. AIF works in three areas: Public Health, Education, and Livelihoods, and through partnerships with effective NGOs provides grants that benefit impoverished groups in India. AIF also
administers SAHAYA: Youth against AIDS, the Service Corps, and Digital Equalizer initiatives. Former President Bill Clinton serves as AIF’s Honorary Chair.

Based in New Delhi, Jiten Thukral (born 1976) and Sumir Tagra (born 1979) collaboratively in a wide variety of media including painting, sculpture, installation, video, graphic and product design, websites, music and fashion. Put it On is a unique exhibition aimed at arriving at a range of probable solutions for HIV awareness vigilance through the visual arts. Thukral & Tagra are among a new generation of young Indian artists attempting to present a personal rendition of what is happening in the cities of India today with a particular focus on the global epidemic of AIDS. The exhibition will include large-scale paintings on canvas and mixed-media installations incorporating custom-designed products such as undergarments and foot wear. The art works of Thukral & Tagra often presents a synthesis of the multiple mediums in which they work.

The paintings are hung on vinyl wall-papers of their own design and fashion products presented as store-like displays with messages promoting safe sex practices and their own hyper-stylized logo incorporated throughout. The entire project has been described by the artists as “an eye opener (which has) taken us to places where things have become transparent, sensitive and responsible.” Despite this socially conscious endeavor by Thukral & Tagra, they acknowledge that their effort is “definitely a mere baby step against the serious problem of HIV and its efforts.” Jiten Thukral completed his BFA at Chandhigarh College of Arts, India and his MFA Delhi College of Art, India. Sumir Tagra completed his BFA at Delhi College of Art, India and his Post-Graduate studies in Communication Design at the National Institute Design Ahmedabad, India. The artists have participated in a number of group and solo shows. Important recent exhibitions were presented at Gallery Nature Morte (New Delhi, 2007) and Teatro Armani, (Milan, 2006). In June 2007, they will present a site-specific installation in the Art Statements section of Art Basel 38 in Basel, Switzerland. They have received numerous prestigious awards and were recently singled out by Wallpaper one of 101 emerging international designers. Both of the artists live and work in Delhi.

For more information on AIF Sahaya – Youth Against AIDS, please contact: bhuvana.bhagat@aifoundation.org Phone: 646.530.8974. Visit: www.aifoundation.org / www.aif-sahaya.blogspot.com

Put in On...

70% rural women in Bihar not aware of HIV/AIDS: survey
Patna Feb 13, 2007
Ashok Mishra- Hindustan Times

The word HIV/AIDS may be dreaded the world over, but in Bihar’s rural hinterland nearly 35 per cent married men and 70 per cent women have no idea about it. In urban areas, there are nine per cent men, who have never heard of it.

These are the findings of the latest National Family Health Survey (NHFS), which shows with devastating clarity the extent to which Bihar has failed to create a properly functional public health system. The fieldwork for the survey of 2005-2006 was conducted between April and July 2006.

The NHFS is a massive all-India survey which gives key indicators on vaccination rates, HIV/AIDS rates, child nutrition, infant mortality etc. The last one was conducted in 1999.

In the last six years, the number of children, who are wasted (too thin for height) in Bihar, has gone up to 28 per cent in 2005-06 from 20 per cent recorded in 1999 while the number of underweight children (too thin for age) has reached 58 per cent from 54 per cent in 1999.

Though the trends in infant mortality in rural areas is encouraging as the rate has gone down from 68 per cent to 63 per cent, it has surprisingly risen to 54 per cent from 53 per cent in urban areas during the last survey.

The total fertility rate is 4 children per woman, mocking at the much-publicized two-child norm. Nearly 60.3 per cent of the surveyed women were married at 18 and 25 per cent women in the age group of 15-19 had become mothers, or were pregnant. Craving for sons refuses to die down as 77.4 per cent married women with two living children wanted sons.

Only 34.1 per cent women aged between 15 and 49 years use family planning. Just 28.8 per cent of these women used modern methods, compared to male counterparts, of whom just 23.8 percent have tried it.

Overall 82.4 per cent children aged 12 to 23 months were immunised while only 22.2 per cent children with diarrhoea were given ORS. Just 48.7 per cent of the children were taken to a health facility while just 54.6 per cent of kids with complaints of acute respiratory infections had access to any health facility.

Despite spread of awareness at every level only 4 per cent received breast-feeding within an hour of birth. No wonder 58.4 per cent of children below three years were found underweight; 42.3 per cent of them are stunted and 27.7 percent are wasted, according to the survey.

The survey found that 43 per cent of women had less than normal body mass index. The percentage for men being significantly lower at 28.7. The percentage of anaemic children between 6 and 35 months is 87.6, while 68.3 per cent married women were anaemic, the report added.

As much as 46.3 per cent newly married women participate in household decisions, while 59 per cent ever-married women experienced spouse violence, the survey said.

Nearly half of Indian women have not heard of AIDS
Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:17 AM ET
By Kamil Zaheer
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - More than 40 percent of women in India have not heard of AIDS, according to a government survey that has alarmed activists.
India has 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the United Nations, which is the world's highest caseload. But the prevalence rate, in the country of 1.1 billion people, is much lower than in most of Africa.
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS), the most extensive study on health and nutrition in India, said in its latest report only 57 percent of women have heard of AIDS.
In rural areas, where most Indians live, less than half the women -- 46 percent -- were aware of the disease.
Activists said on Friday that poor awareness among women was fuelling the epidemic.
"This shows women don't have access to information, translating into more women getting infected," said Anjali Gopalan, head of Naz Foundation India, a leading anti-AIDS group.
In the past few years, there has been a growing "feminisation" of the epidemic in India with nearly 40 percent of all those infected now being women, including housewives.
"Biologically, women are more susceptible to HIV," said Christy Abraham of ActionAid-India. "The lack of awareness adds to the HIV threat they face."
One reason for low awareness is that the government has focused prevention efforts on high-risk groups like prostitutes and intravenous drug users, rather than on the general population.
"But we are expanding prevention efforts among the general population in rural areas, especially women, over the next five years," a government official said on condition of anonymity.
Many rural women have been infected by their husbands who work in the cities and visit prostitutes. Stigma stops infected husbands from telling their wives they are HIV-positive.
The NFHS survey, supported by UNICEF as well as the British and U.S. governments, shows a gulf in awareness between men and women, with 80 percent of men having heard of the disease.
Only 54 percent of Indian women are literate compared with 76 percent for men.
Many women in villages do not have television in their homes and miss out on anti-AIDS advertisements, say activists, calling for a broad-based effort to educate and empower women.
"Even if they do have TVs, there is no electricity in many areas. This is one way how fighting HIV is linked to the issue of general development," Abraham said.
Activists want the government to spend more training and sending grassroot health workers to spread AIDS education among women, especially in poorer and highly populated states.
In the eastern state of Bihar -- home to 85 million people -- only 35 percent of women have heard of AIDS, with the level of awareness falling to 30 percent in villages.
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Welcome aboard SAHAYA LC!!

SAHAYA Youth Against AIDS inducted the Leadership Council members this month at AIF, NYC office and the following is a brief introduction to the group.

1. Mandeep currently works within the Marketing Department at Pfizer Inc. Since joining Pfizer in 2001, she has worked extensively in the field of HIV. Having worked on the development and commercialization of several HIV products, Mandeep has extensive knowledge of the HIV disease, drugs, treatment regimens and importantly social issues affecting HIV patients.

Mandeep possesses over 10 years of experience in market research, marketing, strategy and project management. In addition, her extensive training in market research and specifically interviewing HIV patients and physicians has allowed her to gain an in-depth understanding of the social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

Mandeep is a British-born Indian and has been living in Manhattan for three years.
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2. Lavanya Anantharaman is a third year investment banking analyst in the Global Power and Utility Group in Morgan Stanley, New York. She is also the Co-Head of the Morgan Stanley Investment Banking Analyst Council where she oversees a group of approximately 200 investment banking analysts.

Originally from New Delhi, India, Lavanya spent much of her childhood growing up around the world. She spent two years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, two years in Istanbul, Turkey and three years in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Lavanya graduated Cum Laude from Smith College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. She enjoys traveling, music and is an avid follower of Indian current issues.

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3. Ben Lenzner was a 2005-2006 AIF Service Corps Fellow. He was a volunteer at Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) in Dehradun, Uttaranchal. He worked as a rural primary school teacher, helped set up a bee keeping cooperative and was active with the local Van Gujjar community during his time as a fellow. Ben’s initial visit to India was on a college study abroad program in Rajasthan. He has felt a deep connection to India since his first visit in the autumn of 2000.

Ben has spent many years teaching photography in the South Bronx and working as a teacher in New York City Public Schools. He is a photographer, an educator and a writer. He lives in Manhattan.

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4. Priya Kumar is an associate in Corporate Strategy at Merrill Lynch in New York. Prior to her position at Merrill, she was an investment banking analyst in the financial institutions group at Banc of America Securities in New York. Priya received a B.S. from Cornell University.
Priya is looking forward to working with members of SAHAYA and the larger community to help prevent the spread of HIV in India through awareness and education. Priya firmly believes that preventing transmission of the virus that causes AIDS is the best long-term solution to the global epidemic.
During her time in New York, Priya has been actively involved with various women's organizations such as the Forte Foundation, 85 Broads, 100 Women in Hedge Funds, and the GOTO group. Priya enjoys running, dancing, exploring New York City, and spending time with family and friends.
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5. Savana is currently a student at NYU with a double major of the Classics and Religious Studies and a minor in Italian. Savana is planning to work in the human rights non-profit sector after she graduated with an MA in Italian Studies. Savana has volunteered at a local hospital as well as taught art to children ages 8-18. Savana loves traveling and learning of different cultures in order to understand people in general better. Her ultimate goal in life is to help people.

Savana is originally from Chicago. She went to boarding school in Oregon and then studied fine art in Paros, Greece for a year. She became a commissioned mural painter and solo and group showing painter.
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6. Sumana has been actively involved with various foundations and non-profit organizations that focus on the disparate treatment of women and children, and its effects on the growth of developing nations. Over the past few years, Sumana has focused primarily on education and healthcare by researching international and domestic mandates, by promoting awareness to HIV/AIDS among the rural and urban populations and by engaging in fundraising activities to support the implementation of awareness and prevention programs. In addition to advocacy, Sumana works with orphanages in India that house HIV-positive children to enable them to increase access to basic resources, such as food, clothing and medical supplies.

Sumana currently works as a structured products/derivatives attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and has been living in Manhattan for three years.
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7. Srinivas’s work explores the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the living and working conditions of people in India. He began photographing patients and staff at Freedom Foundation HIV/AIDS clinics in Bangalore and Hyderabad, one of the few free private run facilities where HIV positive people can seek treatment. Srinivas has documented through photographs how the virus spreads through inter-connected communities, including a series on high-risk groups such as truck drivers, eunuchs and male sex workers.

Srinivas’s effort most recently evolved into a collaboration -The Lives in Focus Project- which documents through interviews, photographs and video the impact of India’s new patent law on the country’s HIV positive population.
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8. Alpa has committed the past three years to two organizations. She is on the Junior Board of the Torana Club at the Rubin Museum (this group share a quest to enhance their understanding and knowledge of the art and culture of the Himalayas and to promote the Museum by networking with current and prospective patrons). Alpa is also on the Host Committee of SAKHI (a non-profit community based organization for South Asian women in the New York metropolitan area which is committed to ending violence against women of South Asian origin). Alpa has led and managed various fundraising and gala events for both of these organizations as well as other South Asian Non-Profit groups. In addition to fundraising, Alpa volunteers with orphanages in India that have HIV positive girls from ages 1 to 12. Alpa has a master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Healthcare Policy.

Alpa currently works at Pfizer Inc. in the global operation group and has been residing in Manhattan for 7 ½ years.

Leadership Council

Happy New Year to you all.

As 2007 starts we at SAHAYA are gearing up to announce the Leadership Council (LC) and begin our challenging chapter in the fight against AIDS. The response to the launch has been very positive and we have received a great number of nominations for the LC. This core group will now decide and lead SAHAYA to it's next level and we at AIF, will provide all the technical guidance and resources to steer towards our program goals and objectives. When SAHAYA was launched, one such program priority was spelt out-Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS. This is one way to stop a new generation of infections. We hope that the LC will bring in creative ideas and fresh perspectives in the combat of this deadly virus.

The below article is about an event in India that is being organized to spread awareness about the epidemic. We hope SAHAYA will lead one such mass campaign in 2007-08. Here's wishing everyone a healthy new year and please join SAHAYA - Youth against AIDS today.

Jazz legends to lead fight against AIDS
NEW DELHI: Two of the world's best known jazz artists will join the planet's fight against AIDS. Miles Davis's close friends and bandmates pianist Herbie Hancock and saxophonist Wayne Shorter are coming to India to create and improve HIV-AIDS awareness.

The duo, along with students from the world famous Thelonius Monk Jazz Institute, will perform in New Delhi and Mumbai from January 15. They will also hold master classes for young Indian musicians. The Mumbai concert is sponsored by the Economic Times.

On January 15, the artistes and Indian musicians will perform in a special concert in Delhi in honour of the birth anniversary of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King and the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha movement.

Shorter is known to be a master writer and one of the few people who brought music to Davis that didn't get changed. He is a six time Grammy award winner.

Hancock, on the other hand, is a one-time Oscar winner and 10-time Grammy winner, who brought elements of rock, funk and soul into jazz. Both were part of Davis's Second Great Quintet in the mid-1960s.

Robin Diallo, first secretary, cultural affairs, US embassy, told TOI,"It can't get bigger than this. These two are the greatest living musicians of our time. This is the third consecutive year in which the US government has brought leading jazz stars to India. Renowned jazz singer Al Jarreau, guitarist Earl Klugh and Grammy-nominated saxophonist Kenny Garrett have toured India as part of this programme. When in India, Wayne and Herbie will create awareness on AIDS, and will visit the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to interact with HIV positive patients."

Anti-AIDS campaigns have excited several global celebrities to join the fight against the disease. These include the world’s richest man Bill Gates, former US president Bill Clinton, super model Claudia Schiffer, British high society regular Jemima Khan, actors Ralph Fiennes, Roger Moore and Richard Gere, actresses Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd and Elizabeth Taylor, footballers Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham, singers Robbie Williams, Bono and Alicia Keys.

The year 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of the first reported cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Since then, nearly 65 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV and AIDS has killed more than 25 million. An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV. By Kounteya Sinha [ 5 Jan, 2007 TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

Jazz legends to lead fight against AIDS

The below article is interesting and we at SAHAYA maybe can aim to organize something like this. Anyone we know attending?

NEW DELHI: Two of the world's best known jazz artists will join the planet's fight against AIDS. Miles Davis's close friends and bandmates pianist Herbie Hancock and saxophonist Wayne Shorter are coming to India to create
and improve HIV-AIDS awareness.

The duo, along with students from the world famous Thelonius Monk Jazz Institute, will perform in New Delhi and Mumbai from January 15. They will also hold master classes for young Indian musicians. The Mumbai concert is sponsored by the Economic Times.

On January 15, the artistes and Indian musicians will perform in a special concert in Delhi in honour of the birth anniversary of American civil rights leader Martin Luther King and the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha
movement.

Shorter is known to be a master writer and one of the few people who brought music to Davis that didn't get changed. He is a six time Grammy award winner.

Hancock, on the other hand, is a one-time Oscar winner and 10-time Grammy winner, who brought elements of rock, funk and soul into jazz. Both were part of Davis's Second Great Quintet in the mid-1960s.

Robin Diallo, first secretary, cultural affairs, US embassy, told TOI,"It can't get bigger than this. These two are the greatest living musicians of our time. This is the third consecutive year in which the US government has brought leading jazz stars to India. Renowned jazz singer Al Jarreau, guitarist Earl Klugh and Grammy-nominated saxophonist Kenny Garrett have toured India as part of this programme. When in India, Wayne and Herbie will create awareness on AIDS, and will visit the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to interact with HIV positive patients."

Anti-AIDS campaigns have excited several global celebrities to join the fight against the disease. These include the world’s richest man Bill Gates, former US president Bill Clinton, super model Claudia Schiffer, British high society regular Jemima Khan, actors Ralph Fiennes, Roger Moore and Richard Gere, actresses Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd and Elizabeth Taylor, footballers Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham, singers Robbie Williams, Bono and Alicia Keys.

The year 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of the first reported cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Since then, nearly 65 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV and AIDS has killed more than 25 million. An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV. By Kounteya Sinha [ 5 Jan, 2007 TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]