It is difficult to find motivation in today's time despite all the online and offline help available. Imagine facing adversities three decades ago in India when people were not the most progressive thinkers. But none of this mattered to the hero of this story, Jahnabi Goswami. She is unlike any other superwoman you have ever met.
Who is Jahnabi Goswami?
Jahnabi Goswami, an AIDS survivor and activist, hails from North East India. Back in the 90s, she was the first woman from that region who publicly announced her HIV+ status. She is the founder of ANPP (Assam Network of Positive People). This NGO helps AIDS patients in every way possible. It continuously works towards spreading awareness about the disease too.
Jahnabi is also the first woman who became the president of INP+ (Indian Network for People living with HIV/AIDS.)
The inspiring story of Jahnabi Goswami.
Things have never been easy for Jahnabi Goswami, but she has kept going on and has never looked back. She was married off at the tender age of 17 years to a 46-year-old businessman. Her in-laws kept her in the dark about her husband's HIV positive status. Soon after the marriage, her husband passed away. Unfortunately, her in-laws accused her of being the reason for her husband's death. She was tortured and faced discrimination. She was forced out of her house and did not get to keep her just-born baby girl.
The doctors later informed Jahnabi that her husband died of HIV. Whatsmore, he had passed the same on to her and her child. Further, Jahnabi learned that she wouldn't live for more than three months. Most people in her position would have given up, but not her. She took legal action and won her daughter's custody. However, merely two years old, the baby girl succumbed to the disease.
There was no hope left for Jahnabi, but in her saddest moments, she found her purpose. One day Jahnabi's mother expressed that she doesn't want anyone else to suffer like her daughter. Almost three decades later, Jahnabi is daily fighting and winning the battle against the disease. For 28 years, this prominent AIDS activist has been the voice for India's HIV patients.
The Battle Against AIDS
When Jahnabi started ANPP in 2004, she started getting several calls from other HIV+ patients who wanted to understand the Dos and Donts of the disease. So she created a YouTube video in Assamese that helped many who couldn't be vocal about their condition. She continues to make informative videos to help the families of patients. Jahnabi is constantly also working to ensure sex education is provided to everyone in school. Her opinion is that kids right from the fourth-fifth standard should get sex education. While Jahnabi Goswami's has a self-motivated personality, several girls struggle to find their purpose and passion. Such girls can take their first steps towards their dreams by taking a simple personality test from Glow & Lovely Careers (formerly known as Fair & Lovely Career Foundation).
