A question

She came to the JSK centre this morning. She had called last night. "I had unprotected sex with a number of partners. What is the chance that I have HIV?"

Sheba talked to her for some time on the phone. Set up the appointment for testing. Our lady counsellor talked with her and the blood sample was taken.

The test result is negative. Sigh of relief. Would that all the results we see at JSK be negative. Would that we would not have to do the test.

We are in a place and time where sexual networking seems the norm rather than the exception.

In a week when the biggest golfer in the world has been unmasked as not quite the paragon of virtue that his image suggested - we have been involved with a number of people who have used their sexuality for themselves - and are trying to work through the consequences.

Its good to be able to give quiet hope - and the truth. As unpalatable as it sometimes seems in our age of do-what-you-want-as-long-as-you-like.

Life is more than sex. Way more.

In the air

OK, here is a first for us: One of our faithful blog-readers is about to join us for an internship at Jeevan Sahara Kendra!

Ben Davy is 'in the air' as this is being typed out - his flight seems to be somewhere above the Atlantic Ocean - according to the Continental Airlines - and is running an hour late. Ben should be arriving to a muggy winter evening at 10.40 PM tonight.

Ben is doing a Masters of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre in Omaha. Its a long way from there to Thane - but that's where the heart trumps distance.

A few weeks ago I had a teleconference with Ben's supervisors. I had tried unsuccessfuly to get my mobile to make international calls - and so found myself calling from a phone booth in the local Gujarati grocery store. Standing next to the onions and potatoes and coconuts at 8 PM at night (and having temporarily abandoned the dinner guests for this assignment) I participated in a surreal chat with two learned professors of public health about how Ben would be using his 2 weeks with us.

And now Ben is on his way. A straight(ish) shot from Newark to Mumbai. Courtesy of the amazing technology (and relatively cheap refined hydrocarbons) that shrinks our world so dramatically.

Namaskar Ben! Aap ka swagat hain!

Slowly

Death doesn't solve problems by removing the person in pain.

Sheba talked to a young woman today. A year ago, she was looking after her HIV positive mother. Today her just-turned-twenty brother is living alone in their house - and she as a 22 year old is living with her grand-parents. Their mother died about 8 months ago.

Preeti, as we will call this young woman, is struggling to put her life together at this point. She is not 'at home' in the place she is living - but not on good terms with her brother - who had been expressing his hostility to her mother and her through the last months of her mother's life.

Preeti goes twice a week to clean up her brother's home.

She has gone twice to the government hospital where her mother died. Just sat in the ward.

Suicidal thoughts have buzzed through her mind.

What words to give to a young woman who is living through a life of shreds...

We have no easy answers. No glib responses. No quick guaranteed problem-solving-potion.

Listening. Praying. Talking. Hoping. Moving forward - slowly for the mist of tears.

Seminarians with Photoshop skills

They don't make seminarians like they used to. And perhaps that's a very good thing!

We have been blessed over the past 7 months by an intrepid threesome of John Jeebasilan, Ashis Karthak and Binson James - this year's interns from Union Biblical Seminary in Pune.

Its been a blink of an eye - and they are already on their way home. Binson leaves for Kerala this morning, John and Ashis for Tamil Nadu and W. Bengal next week.

But what an impact each one of them - and all three of them together have had on the JSK team!

We had a small thanksgiving time with them on the night of the 1st. After having fanned out all day on different World AIDS Day outreach activities, it was appropriate to end it with lots of laughter. And that we certainly had. Uproarious - continual laughter as we reviewed their time with us (the photo tells it all).

John, Ashis and Binson have brought much joy and life into our team. Their individual hard work - dedication and love for each other - their kindness and gentleness to all of us - their willingness to go the extra mile.... all of these qualities and so much more marked an amazing 7 months with us at Jeevan Sahara Kendra.

They came as seminarians - they leave as family. We look forward to many more meetings with them in the future.

They don't make seminarians like they used to. This group came with an amazing set of skills - ranging from musical and worship-leading, research and analysis, computer graphics and photo-shop tools...

But more than what they brought with them, each one warmed our hearts. We saw their love and care for the people with HIV that we are working with, their love and loyalty to each other, and their love for each one of us in the staff team.

They came and learned from us. And they did.

We still have much to learn from them.

Big Day

World AIDS Day comes once a year. December 1st.

A day to remember - and move forward.

A day to speak out - and pray hard.

Tomorrow is that day.

At Jeevan Sahara Kendra we know that every day is World AIDS Day. The disease does not just show up once a year. We are working with people day in and day out who have the disease. Illness does not observe special days and times.

But we also realise the value of a time when we can focus on the disease - and speak out in our own small ways.

So with a deep breath, here is what the Jeevan Sahara team plans to do tomorrow:

We start each day with prayer. This day will be no different - infact, we will be spending the first 1/2 hour specifically praying for the needs of people across our city - and nation - who have HIV.

One group of our JSK staff plan to participate in the Thane Municipal AIDS Rally - a procession of school children and others that will wind from the Civil Hospital to the large convention centre next to the Talao Pali - the lake at the heart of Thane. JSK will also host a small stall there along with other NGOs working on HIV issues.

Three other groups of 2 each will fan out to meet auto-rickshaw drivers. Auto-rickshaws are a life-line of Thane - providing travel services through narrow streets. Many of the drivers are migrants from the north and away from families. Each will see at least 30 passengers a day. Some serve as ambulances to take sick people to doctors. We will be meeting the drivers while they wait to fill up at the CNG stations (only 3 in Thane - and long lines always). The JSK staff will talk to the drivers about HIV testing and pin a red ribbon to mark World AIDS Day.

We will also ask them (with utmost politeness of course) whether we can paste a sticker in their vehicle - so that passengers can see that HIV testing is available. We have already started this mini-campaign over the past 10 days and today if you take an auto-rickshaw ride in Thane, there is an increasingly good chance that you will see one of our JSK stickers - telling that HIV testing is available - and giving our contact number.

Another team of two - James D'Costa and Ashis Karthak are making their way down to Mumbai to give a talk at the head office of RPG industries (well known as the maker of CEAT tires). They will be holding two awareness sessions for employees at the head office.

In the afternoon one of our teams will meet with the parents from a local child-daycare centre - and give them a talk about HIV/AIDS.

Sometime during the morning we are also expecting an interview with one of the Mumbai FM radio stations that has decided to highlight our work on World AIDS Day.

And in the middle of all of this we will continue to see patients at the centre - and in the afternoon - the home-care teams will visit key positive friends in their homes to continue the work of caring for people with HIV.

Finally - at the end of the day, we will be saying goodbye to our 3 interns from Union Biblical Seminary: Binson James, Ashis Karthak and John Jeebasilan with a small farewell getogether a.

Its going to be a BIG day!

Youth

Sheba has been talking to a young HIV positive widow.

The emphasis is on young.

'Reena' has been a widow for 6 years now.

She is 23 years old.

Her marriage at the age of 16 (well below the 18 year statutory age limit) brought her a husband who died a year later. He had HIV. She has HIV now.

So many lives almost seem over before they have even really begun.

-----------------------------------------

Today is the Youth Against AIDS day of service.

As I type this note a good 30 odd young people (and 1 or 2 young at heart) have fanned out with our JSK staff to meet families affected and at risk of HIV in their homes. These volunteer visitors are members of youth groups from different churches. What a joy to see young-blood come forward to help. Its a small step for many - and a big step for some - but we know that lives lived and shared together can make a difference.

We will be meeting this evening to share experiences - and pray about the next steps forward.

Reena will not be visited today by our volunteers - her confidentiality is too fragile at this point. But we hope that we will soon be able to build up enough rapport with her to be able to have a person of her own age come along side her.

American wedding

Far away in America our brother Upendra Kumar got married on the 24th of September to Sathya Theodore in upstate New York, USA.

We as Thane Eichers were not there in the flesh (though very much in the spirit and in prayer). Today we got a first glimpse of some of the festivities.

Mum and Dad looking very desi in videsh

Upendra in the meanwhile looked his dashing best
Stefan and family were there to lend a helping hand. It looks like Stefan played multiple roles as best man and MC for the reception (in this photo featuring our little seen - for us Thane Eichers - but ever adorable niece / cousin Anjali)
Dad was called to preach the sermon - which he enthusiastically did (he always does things with gusto) - basing much of the content on the sermon he preached at our marriage - 9 years and 11.5 months ago!


And finally, the bride and groom are married to be Mr. and Dr. Upendra and Sathya Kumar!
Smiles all around (I remember my jaw ached the next day from all my grinning) and a twinge of regret that we were not able to be there 'in the flesh.' Sadly, the dear folks at the US Embassy did not see fit to allow Upendra's brother Narendra and family entry to the US of A and so they too had to stay this side of the great big puddle.

Prayers for the new couple! We are always so glad when two dear people start the amazing journey of marriage together.

Congrats Upi and Sathya - we are proud of you - go forth and make a massive difference - together!