Watched "Philadelphia" (for yet another time)... supreme acting from Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington and an unforgettable piece from Bruce Springsteen. But more than that it is the theme which is more important, of fear of AIDS and homo-sexuality, a theme for 80's America and ...for today's India and Kerala.It is sad... sad is the word not anger or pity, that how a state, which boasts of 100% literacy and has very high standards of social life, treats its people with AIDS, ghettoising them, loathing them. Who can forget Benson and Bency, two HIV+ kids who were denied admission across several schools. And finally, after they (and their lone grand father) staged a day-long fast infront of the secretariat, they were allowed into a state-run school. Only, for the parents of all other kids in that school to keep their children at home, and stage a protest. You cannot complain, parents elesewhere in Kerala would have done the same. I don't know what happened later, heard the governmet provided a teacher exclusively for them. I don't also know, how Benson and his little sister are doing now. They must be doing fine.
Many such incidences have come up in the last few years. Even the government is planning to start a school especially for HIV+ kids. Not a lasting solution, but still praiseworthy. What is needed is more awareness. And there's no better wasy to do it than through movies. To bring the issue out to into the open, in all its rawness. And who else can we look upto than the creator of "Kazcha" and "Thanmatra". Blessy you'll be blessed!
Many such incidences have come up in the last few years. Even the government is planning to start a school especially for HIV+ kids. Not a lasting solution, but still praiseworthy. What is needed is more awareness. And there's no better wasy to do it than through movies. To bring the issue out to into the open, in all its rawness. And who else can we look upto than the creator of "Kazcha" and "Thanmatra". Blessy you'll be blessed!
