Maharajganj (Uttar Pradesh), April 16 (IANS) When Dayanand Gupta, 30, tested positive for HIV four years ago, his world came crashing down. He even left his job. But today he is living not only for himself but also for others like him.

 
 
 A resident of Tarkulwa village in Maharajganj district, some 300 km from state capital Lucknow, Gupta heads a group of around 350 people who counsel AIDS/HIV patients and organise sensitisation programmes.
 
 "I derive a unique sense of satisfaction from my work. I want to serve HIV/AIDS patients till my last breath. I have no regrets. I just thank the almighty for giving me an opportunity to bring smiles on the faces of the HIV/AIDS- affected," Gupta told IANS.
 
 "Though there is no permanent cure of AIDS, a few motivational words can bring a positive change in the lives of HIV/AIDS patients," he said.
 
 "Words have a deeper impact on patients if they are delivered by people like me who are themselves fighting the disease," said Gupta.
 
 Maharajganj Positive Network, headed by Gupta, organises AIDS awareness programmes, counselling sessions in over 100 villages of different districts, including Maharajganj, Aligarh and Bulandshahr.
 
 "Depending upon the incidence of AIDS/HIV, we select the villages for organising the programmes. Our group comprises both men and women, including those afflicted with HIV," said Gupta.
 
 "For holding the sensitisation programmes and counselling sessions, we sometimes seek assistance from medical professionals, NGOs and organisations working for the HIV positive," he added.
 
 It was in 2007 that Gupta came to know about his HIV infection. "I came to know about the infection at the Gorakhpur Medical College, where I had gone for donating blood for my relative," recalled Gupta.
 
 "My world came crashing down. I left my contractual job with the excise department in Madhya Pradesh and also dropped all my career plans...I just started living under the shadow of death," he added.
 
 Gupta later came in contact with an NGO that worked for HIV/AIDS patients deserted by their own families.
 
 "It was then that I found myself very lucky as I had my family and friends standing beside me. It was then that I decided to work for AIDS/HIV patients, and underwent a training programme for the same," said Gupta, who has been holding counselling sessions for the last two years.
 
 Locals appreciate Gupta for his noble initiative.
 
 "What he (Gupta) is doing should serve as a lesson for others who become disappointed after coming across failures in life," said Khushiram Singh, who lives in Maharajganj's Paniyara neighbourhood.
 
 "He is doing great work. We all should make some efforts to help people like him (Gupta)," said Rishi Kumar Jalan, a resident of the Farehanda neighbourhood.
 
 Uttar Pradesh, which is the most populous state in the country, has around 40,000 HIV positive people.
 
 There were around 2.4 million HIV/AIDS affected in India in 2009. Besides the toll it takes on health, patients of the disease often suffer unending stigma.