AIDS is a deadly incurable disease. People suffering from AIDS are looked down upon by the people. In India, a person suffering from AIDS is ranked as sinner by others. In some parts of India, people under grip of this virus are treated like untouchables.

AIDS patient is sometimes devoid of basic human rights. Despite of various campaigns started by government to correct the misconceptions linked with this disease, AIDS patient is still treated with contempt. People suffering from AIDS can’t live a normal life due to various social stigmas attached to AIDS.
 
Salman Rushdie, William Dalrymple, Kiran Desai, Vikram Seth and Ambai have come together to tell world about the lives of people suffering from AIDS. These stories are real human stories collected by these writers from different parts of world.

Aids Sutra: Untold Stories from India is an anthology on lives of people suffering from AIDS. This book has been published in collaboration with Avahan, the India Aids initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a leading HIV prevention project. For each copy sold, Rs 80 will go to support children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Brilliant stories from Salman Rushdie, Siddhartha Deb, Kiran Desai, Nikita Lalwani, Vikram Seth, Nalini Jones, Shobhaa De, Sunil Gangopadhyay Amit Chaudhuri, Jaspreet Singh, William Dalrymple, Sonia Faleiro, Mukul Kesavan, Aman Sethi, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi and Ambai have been included in the book.

These writers traveled to different parts of India to understand the lives of people infected with HIV virus. These writers interviewed housewives, vigilantes, homosexuals, drug addicts, policemen and sex workers. According to statistics, 3 million people are suffering from AIDS in India.

The stories in this book show the problems faced by AIDS patients in India. The writers interacted with AIDS patients belonging to different sections of society. The range of stories in this book is amazing.

Sir Salman contributed a brilliant story known as The Half-Woman God .This story is based on the lives of eunuchs. The story by Kiran Desai is based on the lives of the sex workers living southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. William Dalrymple met a number of Devadasis to write a story on lives of sex-workers in India. Vikram Seth has contributed a beautiful poem to his anthology.

Amit Chaudhuri has contributed an amazing essay called Healing. This essay is based on the interview with Indian doctors. The writer claims that most of doctors in India are not professionally trained to fight this disease. Majority of doctors treat AIDS as synonym of death.

The story from Siddhartha Deb showcases the lives of AIDS patients living in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur. The writer believes that this part of India have received nothing from modernity except drugs, guns and draconian laws. Aids Sutra also has essays on the last days of a film-maker dying of the disease, orphans made by the disease, and high-risk truck drivers.

This book reveals the miserable lives of the people suffering from AIDS in India. This book is an attempt by various world renowned writers to tell untold stories of HIV patients in India. These writers have contributed brilliant artistic pieces encircled by humanistic approach. The book will be launched in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai on August 12 and 13.