Vanlalruati Colney, 39, of Aizawl, Mizoram endured the trauma of her parents’ divorce, her drug addiction and the stigma of a sickly disease and HIV, before she began working for those facing similar issues. She recounts her journey in her own words.
I was completely shattered when my parents decided to get divorced. I was just nine and needed the love and care of both of them.
My father quit his government job to enter politics, which my mother didn’t like. There were other differences too and they parted ways.
My two older brothers and I had to shunt between our parents’ homes and also spend time with relatives. It was a tough phase.
When I was just 19, I fell in love with a local youth in Aizawl. I looked to him for emotional support.
I had rosy dreams about my future but hardly knew what awaited me.
He was a drug addict but I was madly in love. I followed blindly whatever he said. He forced me to take drugs. And I contracted HIV from him when I was 20.
It was hard to believe that something like that could happen to me. I cried for several months and stayed inside the house.
My relatives stopped talking to me. I faced a lot of social stigma and ostracism.
Their indifferent attitude broke me and I drifted more towards drugs. I even began peddling drugs so I could buy them.
But the worst was yet to come.
Soon I got the herpes zoster viral infection. Blisters filled with fluid started erupting on my body.
I got admitted to a hospital in Aizawl. I had rashes and blisters all over my body, and even found it difficult to wear clothes.
Even the medical staff ignored me because of the sticky fluids. I was put in an isolation ward. The hospital staff didn’t even touch my clothes and bedsheets. I had to wash them in the hospital by myself. Their behaviour broke me emotionally.
It took me months to recover. When I came out of the hospital I took the tough decision to put everything behind and start my life all over again.
I went to the nearby church and sought help. They sent me to a de-addiction camp. I slowly shifted towards spirituality. It took me a year to quit addiction and become normal again.
Through different non-profit organisations in Mizoram, I started working for people facing similar stigmas because of addiction or HIV.
In 2007, I launched Positive Women Network of Mizoram to counsel men and women, open antiretroviral therapy centres, offer livelihood training and bring them to the mainstream through jobs.
I got married in 2005. My husband is also HIV positive. We have a teenage son and fortunately, he is fine.
I have counselled over 8,000 people, including sex workers, drug addicts and HIV-infected persons and helped 500 people get jobs. I have received awards for my work.
Despite my contributions to society, my family still faces social stigma and discrimination. Landlords evict us on trivial pretexts when they learn that we are HIV positive. My son also faces stigma.
But that has not deterred me. I will continue to fight for people facing such issues as they also have a right to live with dignity.
All photos courtesy Vanlalruati Colney
Reporting by Gurvinder Singh, a Kolkata-based journalist.