Narasimha, a 30-year-old HIV+ auto-rickshaw driver, wonders

Narasimha, a 30-year-old rickshaw driver in Hyderabad, found out he was HIV+ five years ago when he contracted TB. He admits that he visited commercial sex workers a number of times. His wife, who he says he did not infect, left him shortly after finding out what exactly he had contracted. After starting anti-retroviral treatment two years ago, he has slowly regained his strength and is back at work.

In a haunting twist, his male passengers often ask to be driven to prostitutes around
Hyderabad's parks and main train stations. I asked him if he warns them about the possible consequences. He shook his head, explaining that upon returning to work after his recovery from TB, one of his first passengers asked to be taken to a commercial sex worker. When Narasimha tried to warn the passenger of the risks he was taking, the man yelled at him: "What do you know? You have it?" Alarmed by the prospect of his HIV+ status being exposed, and his livelihood threatened, Narasimha backed off. Since that experience, he quietly fulfills his passengers' requests.

In this video clip, Narasimha explains how he copes, knowing his body will
build up resistance to the ARV treatment and that the next level of treatment will
remain out of his grasp.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• rickshaw
• aids
• hiv
• anti
• retro
• viral
• arv
• india
• hyderabad
• sex
• workers

[LivesinFocus]

Yeah...real life happening around you (piss and all!) rather than a staged interview...

[deathtap]

Wonderful video. Good job. Touching, and painful. A glimpse into a world where people who watch this know little of.

Good job. Lot of auto drivers out there with his problem, and he seems to be a nicer one of the lot. I recommend you watch the documentary called "Born into Brothels". It's really good. Not just you, but to whoever out there has an open mind.

If you don't have an open mind, go to hell.

[LivesinFocus]

Thanks for the kind words...and I guess my mind is so open that I am even open minded about people who don't have open minds. I'd like to try to open em up...

[rsripath]

1:25 theres a guy in light blue top doin a piss on the wall

[ramonemeister]

holy crap that's some real shit!

[tropenarts]

he can stay on his first line treatment for upto 30 years if he is adherent.

[291006291005]

1:18 at the back one of stupid pissing in public area, should be kick his ass

[TennisProducer]

He is saying that his weight gone upto 'DEBBHAI', which means '70' and not '80'!!!

For 80, its 'ENABHAI'!!

[sambhli]

this is real life..what we watch over the 70mm is shit this is truth and just truth.

[ispurling]

wow...