Lives In Focus: HIV In India
Published by Jennifer Rundle on 17 Oct 2005 at 9:41 pm.
4 Comments.
Filed under Vlog News, Vlog Reviews.
Part of our job at We Are The Media is to report on interesting vlogs around the world. Lives In Focus: A Lens on Life in the Margins is a fascinating grassroots vlog, podcast, and blog that investigates the impact of India’s new patent law on the treatment of the country’s HIV+ population through the eyes of the people.
For those of you that aren’t aware, India has historically manufactured and distributed generic forms of Western drugs at very low costs to those who couldn’t afford brand-named drugs. Indeed, many Indians have become dependent on the Indian versions of Western medicines used to treat HIV. However, in March, 2005 India passed a patent law in accordinance with the World Trade Organization that will drastically change those who can use and have access to needed medications. This particularly impacts the many people in and around India, but may also present global ramifications to those that have contracted HIV/AIDS.
This site was started by Sandeep Junnarkar, an award-winning journalist and journalism professor frequently featured in the New York Times, and Srinivas Kuruganti, a photographer who has chronicled the lives of sex workers, coal miners, and eunechs in India, frequently featured in the New York Times and the Village Voice. These folks are aware that mainstream media does not necessarily represent the people for the people, and they wanted to change this by documenting the lives of people actually living with and treating the disease.
Represented on this site are some incredible voices, including Murgesh, a 16 year-old orphan living with the disease, and Dr. Uttara Murthy, a Bangore-based Psychologist who talks about the common misperception that only sex workers and the uneducated contract HIV. There are also some very interesting safer-sex ads, including one featuring a trapeze act.
This is truly a fascinating site, but please don’t take my word for it; take a look at Lives in Focus to learn more about this complex issue and to see a truly unique site for grassroots media. A special thank you to Freevlog, where I first learned about this site.
jonny goldstein on 18 Oct 2005 at 4:10 pm: 1
What a fantastic site, Jenn. Junnarkar is a masterful media maker. One of the best multi-media vlogs I’ve seen.
Ryanne on 19 Oct 2005 at 10:09 am: 2
sandeep is such a great guy! jay and i have taken him through the steps of going from a regular website to a kick butt vlog and boy is he kickin butt. nice job sandeep!
Jung on 20 Oct 2005 at 5:23 am: 3
i am a student at RMIT and I am studying media. I am researching for my final project which is ‘how I can make interesting vlog’. and I found this post and I am so happy about it! It is amazing!
I will check the site now! (: thank you
Clark Saturn on 21 Oct 2005 at 4:10 am: 4
Yes, this is a perfect example of how videoblogging can affect change in people’s lives and spread knowledge and vital information. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Jennifer!