MAHARASHTRA: The 50-year-old Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Anil Valiv went under the knife for a problem linked to the brain four years ago. His recovery came with a strange revelation: He would have to do more for the poor, including those HIV patients who have been ostracized by society. When Valiv looks back a decade, he draws solace from the fact that he has helped 3,000 HIV-positive patients get married.
“These people are not only living a happy life but helping society from containing the spread of HIV virus,” says Valiv. He has set up a matrimonial site exclusively for HIV-positive patients. “As an RTO, I come in contact with a lot of people. One day, when I was delivering a lecture on road safety and traffic rules for goods transport drivers, I came to know that almost all the drivers were HIV-infected. Some of them narrated their stories of how they suddenly became ‘untouchable’ in their own home and left by their friends and relatives,” Valvi said.
“I prepared a list of drivers and convinced them of confidentiality. I met a couple of doctors and urged them to tie up with us. Then, we started medical treatment and social counselling,” he said. One day, a doctor-friend called Valiv and said a 26-year-old patient wanted to marry. “The doctor told me to get a bride who should also be an HIV patient,” recalled Valiv.
“I searched many matrimonial sites, but couldn’t find one for the HIV-positive patients. I told my doctor friend about my inability.” That was a serious situation. It meant if the patient did not find a bride, he would marry a normal girl, infecting her as well. “I frantically started looking for an HIV-positive girl. But all my efforts went in vain,” Valiv added.
After a lot of brainstorming, Valiv concluded that there should be a separate match-making website for HIV-positive patients.
“It was a big task to get data on such patients. We asked hospitals if they had a separate ward for HIV patients. In case, they had, they could ask the patients to get registered on the site that we have set up if they wanted to find a bride or groom,” he says.
“We received the first list of 100 HIV-positive patients who got registered. And then, they even got their match. Today, our website has registered 2,000 such patients who are looking for the right match. So far, through our website more than 3,000 people got married,” says Valiv.
He said the website has had its share of trouble. “Verifying all registrations was not easy. Some people started uploading their fake profiles, multiple profiles, and profiles of married people,” he added.
Valiv pointed out, “They wanted to marry with their caste girl or boy and particular religion only,” Valiv said.