Candlelight Memorial at Chowrastha

Dear Friends,

We remembered all of you at the Candlelight memorial at Chowrastha and felt your presence and support in the prayers and hymns. We rejoiced with the strength of the positive speakers and shed tears lighting the candles. We enjoyed the music and relived the talent of the hills and wished we had a platform for these talented artists.

Thanking you all and attaching below a report by Tashi and photos by Ashesh.
Yours sincerely
roshan


This year, Shanker Foundation, Darjeeling organized the Memorial in Chowrasta. Chowrasta is a place that is visited by hundreds to take a walk or just hang about in Darjeeling and therefore apt to hold the Memorial. The Memorial this year had more participants and more people. It is now an annual program that Shanker Foundation observes since 2008 though the history of the International Candlelight Memorial stretches much further and started in 1983.
Priests from all religion and members of the Pranami and Brahmakumari sects lead us with their prayers. Each prayer was recited differently but was alike in their aim to pray for the souls of people who passed away and those living with HIV/AIDS.
Pratap and Ghanu who are members of the Foundation spoke about living with HIV/AIDS along with how they came to accept their positive status and the changes they brought about in their lives. They spoke powerfully on the issue and brought forth a sense of empowerment they have in sharing their stories with people which in turn help in changing lives of others infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Positive speakers are powerful catalyst who bring the emotional and most importantly personal aspects of the issue to the fore and make us realize that we are not dealing with just an “issue” here but people.
The prayer service was followed by music; young and upcoming bands like the “Laidback” and other Darjeeling Hills based artists brought the young to their feet but kept the focus on the issue as well. A short documentary on HIV/AIDS made by the Mass Communications student of St.Joseph’s College, Darjeeling gave a local perspective on the issue and showed that the youth of Darjeeling are aware of the facts relating to HIV/AIDS.

International AIDS Candlelight Memorial

15 May, 2011
BE THERE

Dear Friends,
The members have been working hard for the Candlelight Memorial 15th May 2011 with the distribution of letter and not to forget the translation.
The media houses have been contacted and Himali Darpan is doing a special. Religious organisations will take the prayer services forward and hoping that you will take it forward in your own places wherever you are. We will have all the major faiths represented at Chowrastha.

Information and Culture department has been kind enough to print 50 posters which have gone up in town and is attached with the mail. A street theatre group called up today with a street act on HIV so will be part of the memorial on Sunday. Ghanu and Pratap are working on their sharing.

We will meet as a team at the office this Friday at 4pm to tie up any loose ends. We will meet you at Chowrastha in mind, body or soul at 4pm on 15th May 2011 irrespective of where you are.

Touching Lives
roshan

15 May - Candleligh​t Memorial (Touching Lives)

It always takes a while to get things into Darjeeling but when it does come, it comes in a big way and stays for a long time; sometimes too long a time.

We observed the International Candlelight Memorial two years ago with a few of us gathered in the Darjeeling Red Cross grounds for a multi-faith prayer service. This year, 15th May 2011, we hope to make it bigger.

The Candlelight Memorial
The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, coordinated by the Global Network of People living with HIV is one of the world’s oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world. Started in 1983, the Candlelight Memorial takes place every third Sunday in May and is led by a coalition of some 1,200 community organizations in 115 countries hosting local memorials to honor the lives lost and raise social consciousness about HIV. The Candlelight is also much more than just a memorial. It provides opportunities for leadership development, policy advocacy, partnerships, and improvement of community mobilization skills. With 33 million people living with HIV today, the Candlelight continues to serve as an important intervention for global solidarity, breaking down barriers, and giving hope to new generations.

For more details log onto: http://www.candlelightmemorial.org/ You can dedicate a candle online at www.candlelightmemorial.org/light_candle/index.php

Darjeeling is blessed with a religious harmony which we hope to build upon. We will be advocating different religious groups in Darjeeling Hills to hold prayer services in their own special way and spaces. We hope to have letters for the different religious groups out by the end of this month. Please let us know of religious groups that you want us to include in the communication and most importantly explain the memorial to them. We believe in the power of prayer and imagine the power of all the prayers of the Darjeeling Hills. We also believe that religious organizations are powerful agents of the much needed societal change.

We will also have a centralized memorial (hoping to have it in Chowrastha) where we will have multi-faith prayer service, candle light memorial, positive speakers, information kiosks and documentaries screened.

Samajs, Educational institutions, NGOs will be invited to participate in the memorial at Chowrastha. The memorial is not just for all the people who have died but also for all the ones who are living with HIV/AIDS. The memorial is also about our society looking within and taking responsibility of ourselves. We have a culture of supporting each other and the time is now to embrace people living with HIV/AIDS in the Darjeeling Hills and break down the walls of stigma and discrimination and stand for the rights of PLHAs.

The global theme for this year is “Touching Lives”. We invite you to touch lives and be the change you want to see in this world. We invite you to touch your own life and offer the change to others. We want you to strengthen your belief in the power of prayer, religious harmony and PRAY.

Yours sincerely
roshan

Winter in Darjeeling

Winter is a tough time in our Darjeeling Hills. People who can afford move to warmer climes. Darjeeling wears a deserted look and moves into a sense of hibernation. Lately, political activism and Shanker Foundation seems to get a fresh lease of life every winter.

I was at the Shanker Foundation office yesterday to discuss activity plans for this year. Ended up chatting as i had not gone down to the office for a long time. Loads of laughter typical of Darjeeling Hills on the problems faced by the members including not being able to access Second Line ART.

With tea and Ghuramia puff biscuits the talk went more serious and laughter decreased. In the past few weeks three of the members have died. Families turned up at the office, all of them tested positive. A 13 year old daughter and parents, another family with an 8 year old child and a 60 year old man and his wife aged 52 years tested positive. They have very little understanding of the virus, the lifestyle changes needed and lack adequate resources to access treatment.

The deaths and new members appearing in winter is becoming a regular feature. Most of the members who come to the office in winter, live in difficult circumstances and the only time they are free to look beyond survival is winter. i just hope and pray that in these few days of winter they are able to gain enough information and knowledge to make the necessary lifestyle changes to maintain their dignity of life. Once the hustle bustle of Darjeeling comes their lives will be engulfed in their rat race of daily bread.

At this juncture i realise the importance of the core team of Shanker Foundation who provide living examples of positive life style for these new members. Not only do they provide information and linkages necessary but also inspire them. They are key in fighting for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. Without them the majority slip away in forced silence. A frustrating silence which kills more than the virus does. A silence that all of us are responsible for. A silence that perpetuates dehumanisation of our society.

Such discussions in closed environment always moves to difficulties of the group. Moments of truth like these, brings out the struggles of the team which is not seen by most people. It also brings out their passion and selflessness driving them in their respective life journeys irrespective of the adversities. Some of them have not received their honorarium since September 2010, yet continuing their jobs as someone has to do it whether there is money or not.

The discussion then went practical as to what we should do. It was generally agreed that we should continue working on reduction of stigma and discrimination, care and support and advocating for rights of PLHIV. There will also be focussed activity on selling the 2011 Positive Calendar this month. Some thoughts on fund raising targeting the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial (3rd Sunday of May) was placed. It was decided that we would meet in a week's time.

I walked back to office thinking about what i heard and what we discussed and realised that I have not shared any updates with the Friends of Shanker for a long time so here goes an update and wishing All A HAPPY NEW YEAR. An update calling on all the Friends to TAKE THE LEAD

Yours sincerely
roshan

The Positive Calendar 2011

Dear Friends,

The Positive Calendar 2011 is going to be out this week and the preview of the 1st page is attached. It is late this year and we are hoping that better late than never applies completely to it. Let me not go into the details of the delay suffice it is late so needs more support to see it through this year. The beautiful part of it is that more people are involved in the process which started at the wall and the waste art workshop before it; the cover design, the photography, the lay out, checking out the printers and also collecting sponsors who would pay for the printing. The friends circle grows and now it is your turn to take the lead and pass on the message of Universal Access and Human Rights(the theme of World AIDS Day 2010) through the Positive Calendar 2011.

This year the Positive Calendar has incorporated information on HIV/AIDS and Activities of Shanker Foundation and Positive Speakers and had this funky arty look to it. Dipang and Sweta did the design, Leepok the photographs, Donna Shubo the cover and Vikram the
conceptual support and the printing. Their names are not in the calendar so i feel it is essential for me to thank them in this email and also to let you know the people behind it. The Positive Speakers on the Calender have shown their selflessness, courage, commitment, dedication and hope in the cause and stand for the innumerable people who are made unable to come out in the open. Your friendship is needed and we ask you to take the lead and spread the message of the Positive Calendar.

The Calendar will be in Glens, Life and Leaf, Das Studio and also at the office. Give us a shout and we will deliver it.

Yours sincerely
roshan

WORLD AIDS DAY 2010

Dear All,
Like every year, World Aids Day will be observed in Darjeeling by Shanker Foundation and Kripa Foundation, in collaboration with the Darjeeling NGO Network.

This year's theme is " Universal Access and Human Rights " recognising universal access to HIV and AIDS treatment,prevention and care as fundamental human rights.

Come and spread the awareness
1st December 2010
Rink Mall
Darjeeling

CALENDAR for 2011

Dear All,

We had a good discussion today at the Friends meeting and we had Samar from Shanti International joining us. In times of crisis a silver lining always there; Samar, Shanti International will continue support including look at possibilities for expansion.

Another important discussion was the 2011 calendar and sponsors. We are hoping to come out with a 12 page one this year and releasing by October before the hills close for winter. For each page the cost is coming to Rs. 14 000/-. We hope to print 4000 this year and need your support to continue bringing awareness as well as supporting PLHIVS.

I learnt a new term today MIPA --meaningful involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS. So lets do MIPA.

Kindly spread your wings and look for sponsors for the 2011 Calendar and be the change you want to see in the world. As usual the sponsors logo will be prominently displayed.

peace
roshan

You can write to Roshan at friendsofshanker@gmail.com