Manju Chhetri of Bara, who was tested HIV positive 12 years back, got married and started a new life with Umesh Shrestha, who also is a HIV patient. She has truly lived up with the slogan "Being HIV positive is not the end of life but beginning." 26- year-old Manju´s positive thinking toward life has set an example for other HIV positive people. [break]
When Manju was 14 years old, 12 years back, she was married to a 45-year-old guy, Narayan Bahadur Chhetri. As soon as she got married, she contracted HIV and with the disease, she faced social discrimination.
Facing all the societal injustice and discrimination, she walked ahead with other men and women who were HIV positive for a better life. Strong-willed after all the adversity, a bright encouraging smile surfaces in Manju´s face at the moment.
Narayan Bahadur Chhetri worked in India and got HIV there. When he came back he married Manju and got her infected with the disease too. Narayan had hidden the fact that he was HIV positive when they were getting married, informed Manju.
"My first child was a son, who is healthy and doesn´t have the disease. He is nine years old now and is studying," shared Manju adding, "My second child was a daughter but she died at the age of five because she had the disease."
HIV was in its first stage during her first child birth and so her first child is clean, she said.
Her husband, Narayan, died in 2060 B S after which her life became more chaotic and hard.
"We really don´t care how long we live," said 26-year-old Manju, who has been living with HIV for the past 12 years.
"No one lived to talk on my behalf now," she recalled adding, "family and societal discrimination was increasing day by day." At the same time, her son, who was studying at a boarding school, was thrown out of the school because everyone suspected and feared he was a HIV positive too. At the end of it, Manju had to leave her village and also change her name to Anju, she revealed.
"But now I don´t care whether people know me as Manju or Anju. I want to serve HIV patients till I live," Manju said.
After her son didn´t have a proper studying environment in Sapahi, she shifted to Rautahat.
"I admitted my son in a school in Chandrapur and I moved on with my fight," said Manju.
She had a talk with the school principal about her and her son´s situation before her son was admitted. Now her 9-year-old son is studying well.
During all this, she met her partner Umesh who lived in Birgunj and was going through the same problem.
"After a while we started going out and then he proposed me to marry him in the month of Mangsir 2065 B S and I accepted," said Manju smiling.
With the consent of both the families they got married in the Bindabasini temple in Birgunj. She had already introduced her son to Umesh. "Since my son lost his father at an early age, when I introduced Umesh as his father to him, he joined his hands and did namaskar," said Manju.
Her parents and ex-in-laws in Sapahi are equally happy with this decision.
"Sometimes I go back to my old home in Sapahi and my ex in-laws are very careful when they talk to me," said Manju.
After Umesh found Manju, he has been happy too, confided Manju.
"We really don´t care how long we live," said Manju, who has been taking HIV medication for the past 12 years, adding, "As long as we live, we want to live happily."
Manju Chhetri was the coordinator at Bara Plus, an organization working in the field of HIV and now she is busy advising people who have HIV.
"People are very happy after they get her advice," said Manita Lama, coordinator, National HIV and AIDS Federation, Bara and added that her life has stood tall as a positive example amongst the people living with HIV.
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