PUDUCHERRY: Bhuvaneshwari woke up to an unusual call in the morning, which left her tickled pink. “Hey, let me inform you that you’ll be conferred with the Women Achiever Award by Puducherry Lt Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on the occasion of International Women’s Day,” said a Woman and Children Department official. Bhuvaneshwari, a counsellor to HIV/AIDS-affected patients based out of Puducherry, paused out of sheer happiness and went on a trip down her memory lane.
Selvi* and her husband, both HIV-positive and hailing from a remote village near Karikalampakkam, were on cloud nine when Selvi delivered a child free of the chronic disease a few months ago. They had dialled Bhuvaneshwari for constant counselling and support.
The nearest bus stop from the remote village is two kilometers and Bhuvaneshwari stepped in with a sponsor to deliver nutritious food for a five-month pregnant Selvi. There was a stage when Bhuvaneshwari hit the road with the responsibility of delivering food and counselling to Selvi. When gate-crashing her house seemed out of the way, Bhuvaneshwari met Selvi on the premises of a temple of the village, constantly enquiring about her health. After the birth of the baby, Bhuvaneshwari even arranged for milk supplements like Lactogen.
It has been almost 12 years since Bhuvaneshwari started extending assistance to pregnant women affected with HIV, and she has helped around 250 families so far. “I provide nutritious food through sponsors to around 20 to 25 persons every month. A kit of food items include: Rice - 10 kg, Soya - 1 kg, Black kadalai - 1 kg, Dates - 1 kg, toor dal - 1 kg, green moong- 1 kg, wheat rava - 1kg, jaggery - 1 kg, rusk - 1. My previous stint with NGOs enabled me to seek sponsorships,” she said.
Yet another incident, recalls Bhuvaneshwari, rendered her with a certain pride: Suguna and her son, both tested positive to HIV, were ridden with despair after her husband died. On the verge of taking their own lives, Bhuvaneshwari intervened with both emotional and nutritional support, earning Suguna a livelihood by putting to use her potential to make sweets and snacks. Suguna went on to provide adrisham, murukku and the like to teashops, enriching their lives and expanding the business through the years.
Bhuvaneshwari, a graduate in food and nutrition from Bharathidasan Government College for Women, is an advocate of the value of good nutrition for pregnant women, and spreading awareness to all corners of life. She is married to an organic farmer in Sillikaripalayam village near TN Palayam. Set to receive the prestigious award from the Lt Governor, Bhuvaneshwari tunes in for the days ahead and the extra miles to traverse.
(*Names of HIV-positive persons have been changed in order to protect identity)