In the 1990s, being diagnosed with HIV in India was almost like receiving a death sentence. People with HIV were not only physically unwell but also emotionally crushed due to the social rejection that followed. Fast forward to today, things have changed a lot.
Thanks to modern antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV-positive people can now live nearly normal and long lives. Many of them are not only surviving—they are getting married and even starting families.
Take the story of Tarun (name changed), a chef from Mumbai. When he tested HIV-positive in 2002, doctors gave him only 30 days to live. But 23 years later, Tarun is healthy, married to another HIV-positive woman, and raising two children—one biological (HIV-negative) and one adopted.
In 2019, India had about 23.5 lakh people living with HIV, the third highest in the world. Experts estimate that 2.5 to 3 million Indians are living with HIV today, and many of them are of marriageable age.
The growing number of marriages among HIV-positive people is also helped by online platforms like HIVParichay.com, Positivesathi.com, and even big players like Jeevansathi.com, which now has a special section for HIV-positive individuals.
Offline events like melawas—annual gatherings organized by the National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco)—are also helping HIV-positive people meet potential partners. However, many still find matches through word-of-mouth or through counsellors who work closely with the community.
Tarun, now a counsellor himself, says he has helped four couples get married by informally introducing them.
After marriage, the next big step for many HIV-positive couples is starting a family. This is not always easy.
Tarun and his wife faced rejection from hospitals when they decided to have a baby. Many wrongly told them they couldn’t have an HIV-negative child. But with proper treatment, it is very possible.
Doctors place HIV-positive mothers on regular ART to bring the virus to very low levels. If followed correctly, the risk of passing the virus to the baby is less than 1%. Many HIV-positive mothers today give birth to healthy, HIV-negative babies—especially through planned C-section deliveries.
Even in couples where only the husband is HIV-positive, safe options like sperm washing and IVF allow for HIV-free pregnancies.
Inside the marriage, couples must still be careful. Even if both partners are HIV-positive, they can have different strains of the virus. So unprotected sex is risky. Monitoring of viral load and CD4 counts is important to stay healthy and plan pregnancies safely.
India’s ART programme is among the best in the world. At private hospitals, treatment may cost around ₹1,500–₹2,000 per month. But under Naco, government centres provide these life-saving medicines for free.
Still, emotional challenges remain. In serodiscordant couples (where one partner is HIV-negative), fear of infecting the other person can make relationships difficult.
ALSO READ: The ultimate guide to help you stay consistent with workouts this monsoon season
ALSO READ: Is voter roll cleanup fair or targeting eastern Bihar?
Support from families, counsellors, and organisations like Naz Foundation and Humsafar Trust plays a big role in helping HIV-positive people live with dignity.
Openness and honesty about one’s HIV status can lead to strong, healthy relationships. But challenges still exist.
At melawas, only 1–2% of matches result in marriage. Most attendees are men, which leads to a gender imbalance. Online portals are also not widely used because many people living with HIV come from poor or rural backgrounds and are not familiar with the internet or smartphones.
Even within the HIV-positive community, caste barriers remain. Some families still insist on marrying within the same caste or sub-caste, which limits match possibilities.
But slowly, things are improving. As awareness grows and treatments become more effective, the future is looking brighter for people living with HIV.
Their journey—from being seen as untouchable to now being able to love, marry, and raise children—is a powerful reminder that science, awareness, and compassion can change lives.
Copyright © © 2022 Copyright. All Rights Reserved with Arth Parkash