The Doomsday Book

In this simply written and short book, the mechanics of HIV transmission and prevention, the stages of infection and illness, and the progression to aids are clearly explained. Dube, author of the highly acclaimed Words Like Freedom, draws a clear map of the HIV/AIDS scenario in India, presents comparisons with and conclusions from data in India and across the world, and examines the reasons for the spread of the epidemic in India. There are statistics on the growth of the epidemic in India over the last 14 years. Thankfully, mind-boggling figures are presented in a non-boggling way; readers will not have to painstakingly track numerals that crawl along sentences.

Drawing lessons from Africa and without degenerating into a jeremiad, Dube, in chillingly simple terms, portrays the horrors that will befall us if we don't act soon. That is the main message of the book-Act Now. The number of Indians infected with HIV is growing so rapidly as to double every 18 to 24 months. Soon, in India as in Uganda, every one of us will have lost someone to aids-a partner, sibling, friend, parent, child...

The pain, anger, anguish, resignation, fears and hopes of 12 people living with HIV/aids comes through clearly as they speak of the complexities of their lives. Dube dispels common myths, talks about discrimination and human rights violations, and strongly advocates a response based on humanity. There's also an exhaustive bibliography for the lay reader and a list of organisations that provide services. The annexe, Kama Sutra for the age of aids, describes safer sex and gives helpful tips making it easier to practise these techniques. However, this section occupies a bare seven pages in the annexe. You promised a 'sexy book', Siddharth, what happened? The other disappointment is the cursory examination of the systemic social factors that make Indians vulnerable to contracting HIV.

By far the largest part of the book is an indictment of the Indian government whose failure to tackle the epidemic is clearly outlined. The medical community, the judiciary, the police, and the moral brigade are not spared either. Mario Miranda's tongue-in-cheek illustrations accurately depict the hypocrisy endemic in the government and across society. The form of the Hon'ble Minister Bundaldass is a sardonic comment on the regressive, ill-informed political response to aids.

The way forward is clearly outlined: greater political commitment, sex education, better healthcare, effective std treatment services, and tackling aids in a health, development and rights framework.

One hopes that after the recently-concluded aids Conference in Durban, South Africa, where all the governments of the world were urged to display stronger political commitment to dealing with HIV/aids, ours will pay heed to the writing on the wall. It says, Act Now.