HIV+ is not the end, says happy and fit 'Mr India'

PANAJI: In 2007 he won the Mr Manipur body building contest. Seven years before that, in 2000, when Kundrakpam Pradipkumar Singh was diagnosed as HIV+, the state-level wrestler and powerlifter was shattered. For the next two years, he busied himself with the flower garden at home, before hitting the local gym again.
Singh is a happy face and fit body that's hard to miss around the Inox courtyard.But what is he doing at Iffi? This indomitable spirit is the inspiration and protagonist of the non-feature film 'Mr India' directed and produced by Haobam Pabam Kumar. Singh was specially invited which is rare for the cast of non-feature films.
"I was not going to let one mistake spoil my future," Singh told reporters on Wednesday. "I want to fight this out and show people like me that it is possible to live it up even when things seem down. Even my doctors advised me against building my body, but I did it. HIV does not kill a man. Society does."
Kumar, an alumnus of the Satyajit Ray Film Institute, got together with friends and pursued his idea of making this film. "Singh's story is a celebration of life," said Kumar. "We were awarded money when this film won a national award, but none of the people who helped me make the film asked for anything. It was given to Singh for the expensive proteins and supplements he requires to stay fit and build his body."
The second film that promotes HIV awareness in the Indian Panorama section is 'Going the distance', a digital film that revolves around a HIV+ woman's attempt to go ahead in life. Speaking about HIV and Aids in the North East, Kumar said, "It is a big problem with drugs coming from Burma. In the past, most cases were transmitted through infected syringes. Now most are through sexual transmission and mother to child."