Gokulashtami and the AIDS Fight

“Goals are met when we coordinate our efforts with those of others”

This small quote beautifully summarises one of the best, most effective techniques for achieving set targets and goals.
The fight against the HIV virus is one such long drawn battle that will take a while to win. But with team work we can effectively put a brave front against the threat of this disease.
The recently celebrated festival of Gokulashtami especially the fun-filled practice of breaking the ‘dahi handi’ has much to teach us if we look closely.

The traditional festival had a token ‘dahi handi’- an earthern pot tied between two poles, with groups of young boys trying their hand (and feet, to put it literally!) at breaking the 'handi' or the pot much like the young Lord Krishna would do in Mathura. The coveted pot would be filled with the traditional mix of curds, fruits and other goodies along with a few coins of money. Today of course those few coins have been replaced by lakhs of rupees funded by several high profile politicians and community groups. As expected, the rising prize money has pushed skywards and with it the height of the handi. The modern day ‘dahi handi’can easily mount upto 30 feet with these youngsters forming anything between six to eight tiers of human blocks to reach the prize.

The way these human pyramids are formed to reach towards the goal is symbolic of the great amount of teamwork and meticulous planning that is required for the achievement of any set target. Further, the entusiastic young men have to brave the buckets of water playfully hurled at them by onlookers to prevent them from breaking the pot.

The same spirit is required in our fight against HIV/AIDS.Earlier when the disease was still in its stage of infancy, medical efforts were considered sufficient. But gradually as the disease assumed epidemic proportions there was an increasing need for bringing forth a multi-speciality approach. This widened further on and today after more than two decades we know that AIDS is not merely a medical problem but a wider issue. In fact the prevalence of AIDS can be considered as one of the key events that will direct the course of global development in this new millennium. The fight against AIDS has to go against all obstacles of war, unrelenting religious leaders, harmful behaviours, political turmoil, inadequate budgets, lack of human resources but the fight must go on unrelentlessly.
Just like the rising towers of the ‘dahi handi’ the stakes are getting higher for the fight against HIV/AIDS. When one observes the agile youngster who reaches to the top most level of the human pyramid, we can see a joy that only successful goal achievement can bring. This joy is unaffected by any fear of falling from that dizzying height. Such a confidence is possible simply due to the unfailing support and encouragement from the mass of people below. Likewise in our fight against the AIDS epidemic, multi-disciplinary teamwork and coordinated efforts from all quarters is necessary for success.

Many people bemoan the increasing commercialisation that has set into the traditional celebrations today. Such community based festivities mean a good opportunity for political parties and would-be political leaders to market themselves and establish their names. There have been a few cases of AIDS prevention programmes serving as good chances for fame-crazy celebrities to generate political mileage and international donor support in certain under developed regions. While some amount of publicity and “bandwagon-ism” does help, it is important not to lose sight of the real goal i.e. grappling with AIDS and even eliminating it – just as new age ‘govindas’ must not forget that the real reward is the curd, the money just happens to be a bonus.