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Softwarism !! ( IT Humor )

Softwarism !! ( IT Humor )




Gandhism:

You have two cows. But you drink goat's milk.

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Indiraism:

You have two bulls. You adamantly consider them as cows.

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Lalooism:

You have two cows. You buy Rs. 900 Crore worth of cattlefeed for them.

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Rajnikantism:

You have two cows. You throw them into air and catch their milk in your mouth.

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Rajivism:

You have two cows. You paint them both to get colourful milk.

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Softwarism:(Ultimate....):

Client has 2 cows and u need to milk them


1 . First prepare a document when to milk them (Project kick off)

2 . Prepare a document how long you have to milk them (Project plan)

3 . Then prepare how to milk them (Design)

4 . Then prepare what other accessories are needed to milk them (Framework)

5 . Then prepare a 2 dummy cows (sort of toy cows) and show to client the way in which u will milk them (UI Mockups & POC)

6 . If client is not satisfied then redo from step 2

7 . You actually start milking them and find that there are few problem with accessories. (Change framework)

8 . Redo step 4

9 . At last milk them and send it to onsite. (Coding over)

10. Make sure that cow milks properly ( Testing)

11. Onsite reports that it is not milking there.

12. You break your head and find that onsite is trying to milk from bulls

13. At last onsite milk them and send to client (Testing)

14. Client says the quality of milk is not good. (User Acceptance Test)

15. Offsite then slogs and improves the quality of milk

16. Now the client says that the quality is good but its milking at slow rate (performance issue)

17. Again you slog and send it with good performance.

18. Client is happy???

By this time both the COWs aged and cant milk. (The software got old and get ready for next release repeat from step 1) !!!!!

The Jaipur Foot

Jaipurfoot

The world's first sub-$40 artificial foot.

The Jaipur Foot was developed in India 1970 by orthopaedic surgeon Dr Pramod Karan Sethi and sculptor Ram Chandra. It provided an appropriate, low cost and aesthetic alternative to the Western limb designs otherwise available. The design has revolutionised the lives of thousands of amputees in the developing world.

Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), the world's largest charitable organization offers artificial limbs free of charge to those in need. With Mr. D. R. Mehta as the founder, the organization is well known for the development of the "Jaipur foot," the world's first sub-$40 artificial foot, an inexpensive and durable prosthetic. Though many of the recipients of these limbs were originally injured by land mines, Mehta was inspired to found the agency after his own serious car accident.

The modified Jaipur foot has the rubber and wooden ankle block substituted by the more durable Poly-Urethane micro cellular foams are lighter, and could be produced in large numbers in minimum time with improved quality, providing added comfort, gait and durability for the amputees.

PU foot prostheses are bio-mechanically advantageous as far as comfort and injury prevention are concerned. Slip resistance of the PU foot is much higher than other materials. Moreover, slip resistance of the PU material studied over wet and oily surface is also found to be much higher in comparison to rubber and allied materials. Thus, amputees using PU foot prostheses can walk more safely on any type of surface. Besides, its abrasion resistance being higher, PU foot also lasts longer. PU foam foot moulded with cosmetically attractive skin covers made of Poly-Urethanes are found to be more acceptable to amputees and a number of amputees were successfully fitted with such prostheses.


Dont stop Dancing

Famous for dancing on her 'Jaipur foot', Sudha Chandran is a famous Indian actress and classical dancer. Having lost a leg in an accident in 1982, her unshakable will to dance put her back on her feet after indomitable struggle. With the help of the Jaipur foot, which is essentially an artificial leg with which one is capable of working on a farm or even climbing a tree, combined with her persistent effort to perform again, she found herself back on stage. In 1984, a film called Mayuri was made based on her life story: her dancing, her severe accident, then the painful struggle to recovery followed by her triumph over her disability moving on gracefully with her life. This film was translated from Telegu into Hindi entitled Nache Mayuri as well as in English with the same title as her name, Sudha Chandran.


She has shown rare courage and determination to continue the art she loved, adored and practised to perfection, despite her disability and has been performing with no trace of the handicap, fate has imposed on her in all cruelty. In the living memory of the history of any dance system in the world, never has there been a case of a dancer retrieving her glory after having been disabled as did this "Wonder Girl" from Mumbai.


Today, she is an international celebrity, a symbol of hope for millions of disabled all over the world. Millions of students learn her life story in their text books.

World's first swimming car

Three decades ago James Bond (then enacted by British star Roger Moore) wowed the world with a car that could 'fly' under water in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Only, it was animation and not an actual scene.


But Frank M Rinderknecht, the 52-year-old automobile visionary and boss of Swiss automaker Rinspeed, has turned a dream into reality with his 'sQuba.'

Rinspeed sQuba is the most exciting thing at this year's Geneva Motor Show and is creating many a ripple.

sQuba is the world's first real submersible car that can 'move like a fish underwater'.

It can dive up to 32.8 feet (10 mt) below the surface of the water and can move at a sedate 1.8 miles per hour.

The sQuba has an open cockpit for 'safety reasons' (so that people can get out easily anytime in case of an emergency). The occupants of the car have to breathe compressed air through built-in scuba masks.

sQuba is an electric car that uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and 3 electric motors for propulsion. It is a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions.

The 'sQuba's' filling station is the water reservoir.? It is no surprise that the vehicle features powerful yet energy-saving LED lighting technology.
The first car that could drive underwater was Quandt's Amphibicar, built in 1968. Only 3,878 were produced but many are still being driven on roads.

Then Gibbs Technologies came up with Gibbs Aquada in 2004 which Virgin boss Richard Branson used to break the speed record for crossing the English Channel.
However, the sQuba seems to be the most exciting of them all.

To drive on the roads, the sQuba 'relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters.'

Courtesy:comogy.com

Scientology : A Religion founded by a SCI-FI Writer

The Scientology religion ESTABLISHED IN THE 50'S
is an expanding new religion, founded by American SCI FI WRITER
and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. The word Scientology means the "study of knowledge or truth" and addresses the rehabilitation and salvation of the human spirit.

According to a Scientology website:

"Today its more than 6,000 churches, missions, related organizations, groups and activities span the globe and minister the religion to more than eight million people in 159 countries in over 66 languages."

Additionally, Churches of Scientology support more than a thousand social betterment groups, which utilize L. Ron Hubbard's methods in the fields of education, drug and criminal rehabilitation, and moral rejuvenation.

The total number of Scientologists in the world is extremely difficult to estimate, for a variety of reasons. Estimates range from 100 thousand to 10 million.

The Church has expanded more in the last five years than in the preceding fifty. In the last year alone, new Scientology groups, missions and churches have opened at the rate of three per day.

What Scientologists Believe

Belief in Deity
Scientology considers the belief in a God or gods as something personal and therefore offers no specific dogma. The nature of the Supreme Being is revealed personally through each individual as s/he becomes more conscious and spiritually aware. There exists a life energy or force (Theta) beyond and within all.


• Incarnations
There are no particular human incarnations of God, as the universal life force (Theta) is inherent in all. All humans are immortal spiritual beings (thetans) capable of realizing a nearly godlike state through Scientology practices.


• Origin of Universe and Life
All is manifestation of the universal spirit, which is all that actually exists.


• After Death
Rebirths continue until one consciously confronts all pre-birth, current-life, and previous-life traumas and realizes one's true nature as a "thetan," immortal spirit--transcending matter, energy, space, and time. Achieving this state enables the spirit to escape the cycle of birth and death--to operate independently of the physical universe and become one with God.


• Why Evil?
Painful experiences and harmful acts in one's prebirth, current, and past lives become imprinted in the reactive mind and lead to irrational behavior. Departures from rational thought and untrue ideas ("aberrations") can result in wrongdoing.


• Salvation
Salvation is achieved through the practices and techniques of Scientology, the ultimate goal of which is to realize one's true nature as an immortal spirit, a thetan. The path to salvation, or enlightenment, includes achieving states of increasingly greater mental awareness--Pre-Clear, Clear, and ultimately Operating Thetan. An Operating Thetan is a spirit who can control matter, energy, space, time, thought, and life. Practitioners ("Auditors") are regarded as ministers and counselors who assist others to achieve self-enlightenment. Auditors help others to identify their prebirth, current, and past-life disturbances, which are obstacles to happiness and spiritual enlightenment.


• Undeserved Suffering
Suffering occurs as part of the spirit's entrapment here in the physical universe. Only when the individual is aware of his spiritual nature can he identify his barriers within the universe and overcome them, rising out of a lower state and into a higher state of happiness and freedom.


• Contemporary Issues
Based on the belief that you cannot free yourself spiritually without working to free others, Scientology has founded and supports many organizations for social betterment, particularly in the areas of drug abuse, crime, psychiatric abuse, government abuse of law, human rights, religious freedom, education, and morality. Scientology strongly favors the use of their methodology for spiritual/mental healing over the use of conventional treatment.

New Year Gifts for you : from Electronics and IT

PLEASE COMMENT IF YOU LIKE THE GIFTS!!!!!!!!!

New Year's Resolution : Use Olive Oil

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!



Use Olive Oil : To Prevent Cancer













If you want to avoid developing cancer, then you might want to add eating more olive oil to your list of New Year's resolutions. In a study scientists from five European countries describe how the anti-cancer effects of olive oil may account for the significant difference in cancer rates among Northern and Southern Europeans.


The authors drew this conclusion based on the outcomes of volunteers from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Spain, who consumed 25 milliliters (a little less than a quarter cup) of olive oil every day for three weeks. During this time, the researchers examined urine samples of the subjects for specific compounds known to be waste by-products of oxidative damage to cells, a precursor to cancer. At the beginning of the trial, the presence of these waste by-products was much higher in Northern European subjects than their Southern European counterparts. By the end of three weeks, however, the presence of this compound in Northern European subjects was substantially reduced.

"Determining the health benefits of any particular food is challenging because of it involves relatively large numbers of people over significant periods of time," said lead investigator Henrik E. Poulsen, M.D. of Rigshospitalet, Denmark. "In our study, we overcame these challenges by measuring how olive oil affected the oxidation of our genes, which is closely linked to development of disease. This approach allows us to determine if olive oil or any other food makes a difference. Our findings must be confirmed, but every piece of evidence so far points to olive oil being a healthy food. By the way, it also tastes great."

Another interesting finding in the study suggests that researchers are just beginning to unlock the mysteries of this ancient "health food." Specifically, the researchers found evidence that the phenols in olive oil are not the only compounds that reduced oxidative damage. Phenols are known antioxidant compounds that are present in a wide range of everyday foods, such as dark chocolate, red wine, tea, fruits, and vegetables. Despite reducing the level of phenols in the olive oil, the study's subjects still showed that they were receiving the same level of health benefits.

"Every New Year people make resolutions that involve eating less fat to improve their health," said Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "This academically sound, practically useful study shows that what you eat is just as important as how much you eat. No wonder Plato taught wisdom in an olive grove called Academe."

The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) is published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and is consistently ranked among the top three biology journals worldwide by the Institute for Scientific Information. FASEB comprises 21 nonprofit societies with more than 80,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. FASEB's mission is to enhance the ability of biomedical and life scientists to improve -- through their research -- the health, well-being, and productivity of all people. FASEB serves the interests of these scientists in those areas related to public policy, facilitates coalition activities among member societies, and disseminates information on biological research through scientific conferences and publications.


Courtesy:ScienceDaily

Intelligent Thinking

Intelligent Thinking




A jobless man applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft.

The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.

"You are employed." He said." Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."

The man replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."

I'm sorry", said the HR manager, "If you don't have an email, that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."


The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only $10 in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy a 10Kg tomato crate. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital.

He repeated the Operation three times, and returned home with $60.

The man realized that he can survive by this Way, and started to go everyday earlier, and return late Thus, his money doubled or tripled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles.

5 years later , the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US .

He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance.

He called an insurance broker, and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded, the broker asked him his email. The man replied, "I don't have an email". The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?!!"

The man thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"

Moral of the story:

M1 - Internet is not the solution to your life.
M2 - If you don't have internet, and work hard, you can be a millionaire.
M3 - If you received this message by email, you are closer to being an office boy, than a millionaire. .........

Have a great day!!!

Pls Note: - Do not try to contact me through email as I'm closing all my email addresses and going to sell tomatoes!!!
Smiling after reading is not mandatory!!! !



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Amazing Medical Implants:science fiction becoming a reality

Top 5 amazing medical implants

Plugging a heart into the wall, implanting radioactive seeds, and using hydraulics to create erections, medical implants are advancing at an astounding pace.

What once seemed like far-fetched science fiction is now fast becoming a reality. We picked our top five amazing implants. Here they are in descending order.5. Radioactive seed implants
Radioactive seed implants, also called brachytherapy, is used to treat early stage prostate cancer.
Small rice-sized radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate by using a tube-like needle. The radioactive emissions from the seeds attack the tumour in a similar way to external radiation.

The radiation usually only travels for a very short distance, and does not adversely affect the area around the prostate, as can radiotherapy.

It is a bit like sneaking a bomb into enemy territory.

4. Bionic eye
Until recently, the ability to restore sight was just not something we could get right. But that seems to be changing. There are a number of amazing techniques in the pipeline, but the bionic eye makes our list for its glittering sci-fi appeal.
A grid of electrodes is surgically planted into the eye to form an artificial retina. But this retina does not see by itself: a small camera is mounted on a special pair of glasses. The information is then processed by a small computer, and wirelessly transmitted to the artificial retina.

As yet, these bionic eyes are only delivering very poor and rudimentary vision. But, this is the kind of technology that can only get better.

3. Deep brain stimulation
With deep brain stimulation, electrodes are implanted into particular areas of the brain. From here, wires run under the skin to a neurostimulator implanted in the chest.
The technique has been used with some success for Parkinson’s disease and is being put on trial as a treatment for depression. Exactly why electrical pulses may send your blues packing is still unknown.

In whatever way it works, an implant that regulates your mood sounds so sci-fi that it was always going to make our list.


2. 2. Hydraulic penal implants
When medication fails to get rid of erectile dysfunction, the next step may well be a penile implant.
Hydraulic penile implants consist of three main parts: two cylinders that are implanted into the penis, a pump implanted into the scrotum, and a fluid reservoir in the lower abdomen.

When a man wants an erection, he simply uses the pump to pump liquid into the cylinders, which makes them expand, and the penis erect. There are some risks associated with implanting these devices. But they do have a remarkably good satisfaction rate. This one makes our list for the innovative way in which it applies simple engineering principles inside the body.


1. Heart pumps

Imagine you are feeling a bit tired. You feel light-headed, and your heart is struggling. You sit down, plug yourself into the wall socket, and soon everything clears up and your heart is beating normally again.

So-called heart pumps help the hearts of certain heart failure patients pump more blood. Effectively, these pumps take over the work of one or two of the lower heart ventricles.

The implanted pump is powered by batteries which are carried outside the body. And in some cases, patients can power their pumps by plugging them directly into a wall socket.

A truly artificial heart may still be very far off, but heart pumps already represent one of the most amazing ways in which life can be extended.



Sources:
MayoClinic.com

Train Your Brain

The brain needs care just like any other part of the body – but when was the last time you set aside some time to flex your frontal lobe? A study funded by National Institute of Health scientists found that memory, reasoning and processing speed can be improved by fairly simple ‘brain training’ in very little time. Moreover, they found that cognitive improvements persisted for at least five years.

After the age of about 30, the brain’s ability to function begins to deteriorate. Just like the rest of us, things move slower and begin to deteriorate. It’s important to keep yourself sharp, and traditional activites aren’t usually enough to do it. Even if you have an intellectually challenging job, are an avid reader, and play chess, you’re still going to be neglecting certain parts of the brain. And most of us do a lot less than that. Enter Lumosity.com.

Lumosity is a scientifically designed ‘brain training program’ based on the concept of neuroplasticity - the brain’s ability to learn and physically adapt given appropriate stimuli. Lumosity’s brain games and exercises are engineered to train and improve your memory, attention, processing speed, and cognitive control. And better yet, they’re fun! Why melt your brain playing crap like Grand Theft Auto, training yourself to think and act like a criminal, when you can have a good time literally boosting your IQ.

The development and testing of the games were guided by some of the leading scientists in neuroscience, cognitive psychology and bioinformatics – and they work. Lumosity’s program has been shown to improve memory and attention in randomized, controlled clinical trials. And the site isn’t just a free for all. They have well crafted progams that guide you through short ten minute ‘workouts’, explain what the games do, and track your progress.

Here are examples of some of the games:

Monster Garden - Area of Cognition: Memory
Monster Garden improves your memory and attention with a spatial memory task. As your spatial and working memory improves, you will be able to navigate through progressively harder levels.

Word-Bubbles- Area of Cognition: Processing Speed
Word Bubbles was designed to train and improve your processing speed and word-finding ability. The brain’s speed of processing is an important factor determining how quickly a person can think, take in sensory information, or conduct other cognitive processes such as remembering or comprehending language.

Birdwatching - Area of Cognition: Attention
Birdwatching improves attention and the ability to process visual information. These abilities are important in many everyday activities including driving and playing sports. The task gets progressively more challenging to accommodate your improvements in visual attention and processing speed.

Lost in Migration - Area of Cognition: Cognitive Control
Lost in Migration is designed to train and improve your cognitive control and reaction time. This task focuses on supressing your automatic - almost reflexive - responses, helping you stay focused on the greater goal.

Mental health is an important as physical health. One is meaningless without the other. What use is a Vitruvian body, without a Vitruvian mind? I recommend giving it a try while the service is still free. As they say… use it or lose it folks.

Courtesy:

Lumosity.com

e-Toon (Smiling is not mandatory)

F1 !!!!!!!

Satellite Internet

As Internet traffic continues to grow at exponential rates worldwide, Internet services providers (ISPs) everywhere are faced with the challenge of keeping up with demand for network bandwidth and developing creative solutions for squeezing more use out of existing bandwidth.

Satellite communication has the unique ability to deliver bandwidth exactly where and when it is needed, irrespective of geography and local infrastructure.
Depending on the location and needs, Internet via Satellite is the best method for either by-passing or extending the terrestrial fiber optic network.

Internet via Satellite is therefore becoming the natural high speed transport medium for a wide range of IP and multimedia applications the world over, whether for consumer or business applications - and at speeds of 2 Mbit/s per user for Internet access and at up to 40Mbit/s per transponder for services such as data broadcasting.


How do you access the Internet other than dial-up if you live too far from a phone company office for DSL and there is no cable TV on your street? Satellite Internet access may be worth considering. It's ideal for rural Internet users who want broadband access.

Satellite Internet does not use telephone lines or cable systems, but instead uses a satellite dish for two-way (upload and download) data communications. Upload speed is about one-tenth of the 500 kbps download speed. Cable and DSL have higher download speeds, but satellite systems are about 10 times faster than a normal modem.

Firms that offer or plan to offer two-way satellite Internet include StarBand, Pegasus Express, Teledesic and Tachyon. Tachyon service is available today in the United States, Western Europe and Mexico. Pegasus Express is the two-way version of DirecPC.

Two-way satellite Internet consists of:

* * Approximately a two-foot by three-foot dish
* * Two modems (uplink and downlink)
* * Coaxial cables between dish and modem

The key installation planning requirement is a clear view to the south, since the orbiting satellites are over the equator area. And, like satellite TV, trees and heavy rains can affect reception of the Internet signals.
Two-way satellite Internet uses Internet Protocol (IP) multicasting technology, which means up to 5,000 channels of communication can simultaneously be served by a single satellite. IP multicasting sends data from one point to many points (at the same time) by sending data in compressed format. Compression reduces the size of the data and the bandwidth. Usual dial-up land-based terrestrial systems have bandwidth limitations that prevent multicasting of this magnitude.

Some satellite-Internet service still requires you to have a dial-up or cable modem connection for the data you send to the Internet. The satellite data downlink is just like the usual terrestrial link, except the satellite transmits the data to your computer via the same dish that would allow you to receive a Pay-Per-View television program.

So, if you are in a rural area and you want broadband access to the Internet, satellite Internet may be for you!

Is HIV beating the scientists?

After two decades of research into an HIV vaccine, there comes a bleak message from one of those leading the hunt.

Professor David Baltimore, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said that while efforts are continuing, there is "little hope" of success.

"In 1984, we were told that as the virus had been found, a vaccine should be just around the corner," he said.

"But we are no closer to a vaccine now than we were then."


This plunge in scientific morale follows the collapse, last year, of a massive vaccine experimental vaccine project.


It quickly became obvious that, despite 10 years of hard work, and millions of dollars spent, the jab offered zero protection in the real world.

Elsewhere, however, the mood is far less downbeat.

Professor Quentin Sattentau, working on a vaccine at Oxford University, said that while realism was important, a breakthrough could still come quickly.

"Of course, it's possible that we will never find a vaccine for HIV. But that doesn't mean that we should stop looking.

"We are making small steps all the time, and we can never predict what science will discover at any moment."


HIV is quite unlike other viruses which have fallen to the vaccine-makers over the past two centuries.

It has a remarkable ability to disguise itself against the body's defences, constantly changing to avoid detection.

This means that vaccines which rely on using a recognisable part of the virus to prime the immune system can be ineffective almost as fast as they enter the body.

"This variability is the biggest problem - it's much faster, for example, than influenza," said Professor Sattentau.


Another problem is its lethal nature. Normally science can learn from the survivors of a viral infection, but in HIV, although some live with the virus for decades, there are no reliable reports of anyone managing to clear it from their bodies entirely.

To focus entirely on vaccine would ignore the massive strides made in HIV treatments - the latest crop of antiretroviral drugs offer the prospect of almost normal lifespan for some patients.

However, as research published only this week showed, they cannot fully purge the virus from the body.

Simple method

Despite the remaining glimmers of hope from other vaccine projects, some HIV experts have welcomed Professor Baltimore's comments.


Deborah Jack, the chief executive of the National Aids Trust, which lobbies governments for more research funding into HIV vaccines, said that there was no reason to give up hope.

"What we have to remember is that it took 47 years to produce a polio vaccine, and 42 years to make one for chickenpox.

"There are currently 30 trials into vaccines running at the moment around the world, and even if they fail, we will learn more about HIV from them."

And Lisa Power, from the Terrence Higgins Trust, said that hype from pharmaceutical companies and other about the prospects for a vaccines risked drawing attention away from the only practical methods available today to those at risk of infection.

"I would commend him on his comments," she said. "We need to balance the hopes for the future with what we can do now.

"Many people would welcome an injection which would allow them to have unprotected sex for the rest of their lives, but unfortunately it's not happening in the real world.

"Safe sex, testing and treatment - these are the ways to prevent its spread," she said.

"The good news is that HIV is starting to lose - but it's going to be trench warfare, taking ground patient by patient.


Courtesy: Martin Hutchinson,BBC News

Living Positively: Vennila’s Story

Vennila, 29, is from a small village in Tamil Nadu, in southern India. Seven years ago, she found out she had HIV. Since then, she has learned to live “positively,” and with guidance from EngenderHealth, she has become a master trainer in HIV treatment education and counseling and a role model for her peers. Here, Vennila describes her journey…

In 2001, my husband became very sick. He was tested and found to be HIV-positive. The doctors asked me and my son to take the test too. I tested positive, but my son was negative. I did not know about HIV, and when they told me I had it, I thought it was some kind of blood group. But then during counseling, they explained HIV and what it does to the body—that is when I understood the reality of living with HIV. I was in complete shock, and even before I could understand the implications, my husband passed away. It only took two months. In that time of sadness, there was one comfort—that my son’s HIV status was negative.

My parents were educated, and they were aware of HIV and AIDS. Fortunately, they were very understanding. But after the death of my husband, my in-laws were not supportive. They were not willing to share property with me and my son. I took shelter in my parents’ home, and up to now they continue to support me. I have not seen my in-laws since.

For me, the biggest challenge was accepting my own HIV status. After my husband’s death, I thought there was no point in living. My son was my only hope and the only reason I had to continue to live. My mother, who is my biggest strength and support, motivated me to get better. She wanted me to be strong so that I could make my own living. I volunteered with a nongovernmental organization as an outreach worker, providing service for people living with HIV. In 2003, when I heard of a support group of people living with HIV, I joined them. This was a moving experience, I made friends with others who were HIV-positive, and I felt that I was not alone. Then I became part of the first consortium to help carry out the government’s treatment program. As I was a good speaker, they chose me to be a peer treatment counselor.

In early 2006, I was trained by EngenderHealth as a “master trainer” in their workshop for counselors and social workers on antiretroviral treatment. I also took part in a follow-up training in 2007. The workshops were in my mother tongue, Tamil, which made it easier to understand and helped all of us participating to better support clients visiting our center. We learned to improve our counseling on antiretroviral treatment, adherence, side effects, resistance, and positive living. The follow-up session helped us understand opportunistic infections and treatment. The knowledge I gained from EngenderHealth’s trainings helps me give the best possible guidance to people living with HIV. They also made me address my own treatment adherence and helped me attain a better quality of life. Being a role model means that I should practice what I preach.

My aspirations are high; I am hopeful that one day I will see my son graduating from college—it is this aspiration that keeps me going. Living with HIV has given me confidence. I have been open about my HIV status and have even traveled abroad for conferences. Before becoming HIV-positive, I was a simple village woman—my house and my family were my boundaries, and nothing existed beyond them. My life with HIV has taught me to move beyond these boundaries. While taking care of my son, I am also able to help others who are HIV-positive to live healthy lives.

Courtesy: EngenderHealth India

For more information people can contact-:
indiainfo@engenderhealth.org