30 July 2010
By Shailendra Paranjpe
Come Friendship Day (August 1) and Pune would witness a matrimonial meeting of HIV–positive patients, the first of its kind in Pune. Around 100 patients have registered for the meet to find a life partner and remove the ?stigma attached to the disease.
Wake Up Pune, a coalition of various non–governmental organisations working in this field, has come together to organise this meeting.
Avinash Chakranarayan of Deepgriha Society, Dwijen Smart of Arogya.com, Wake Up Pune co–ordinator Ryan Beckturner and Sanyogita Dhamdhere from the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) informed media persons about the meet.
A HIV–positive couple who got married recently shared their experiences. Their marriage was fixed at a meet for HIV–positive patients in Satara five months ago.
Smart said Wake Up Pune would reimburse the travelling expenses of female patients registered for the meet.
Chakranarayan said Wake Up Pune would provide a platform for the prospective couples to know each other. He said the meet would be held with the help from Pune Zilla Agrawal Samaj Yuwa Sammelan, who would provide Agrasen Bhavan (1088 Ravivar Peth, adjacent to Maneesh Market) for free for the meet. The meet would be held between 9 am and 6 pm.
Smart said Arogya.com was running matrimonial advertisements of various support groups for patients suffering from various ailments for over a decade. He said online matrimonials was not enough for those who cannot read and write.
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