Gere brothers gather heroes, artists to fight Aids

MUMBAI: Call it Zen and the Art of Spreading Aids Awareness, by the Brothers Gere.
On Wednesday, as older brother RichardGere, Hollywood actor and activist for the Tibetan cause, unveiled his latest offering—the Heroes Project to spread awareness about Aids\HIV in India—younger brother David sat in the audience having already done his bit. A day earlier, David had presented ‘Make Arts—Stop Aids’ in New Delhi, an event at which his Hollywood actor brother made a starry appearance.
Both are involved in Aids\HIV programmes, but their tools are obviously different.For Richard, activism means providing impetus to creative people,who in turn spread awareness. In other words, celebrity endorsements help.
Not surprisingly then, the Heroes Project, which has been planned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Richard Gere India Foundation Trust, will feature Indian heroes (“people in whom society believes in,’’ says Gere). The first hero is cricketer Rahul Dravid, who has done two public service advertisments on the need for protection and removing stigma.
The campaign will run for three years. Richard Gere’s idea is to get “India talking about things and get basic information’’ across to people so that themisconceptions about Aids disappear. “A recent study has shown that three out of four Indians still have misconceptions about the disease,’’ he told TNN.
The Heroes Project will run into a three-year intensive campaign through the mass media. “We will work with the media by holding events, concerts and embedding messages in various programmes,’’ he said.
“We need to involve radio, especially in rural areas, and Doordarshan in the project,’’ he added. In contrast to his brother’s high-profile campaign, David Gere has been working with individual artists across India.
The work was part of his six-month research project in Bangalore with the prestigious Fulbright Foundation. According to David Gere, who is attached to the University of California, Los Angeles,
“My project highlights efforts by various artists who have spoken about Aids through their media. They range from film actor OmPuri to painters in a village near Kolkata who paint scrolls with anti-AIDS messages,’’ said the 46-year-old professor. And what would the ideal Aids campaign entail? Obviously, a combination of what both brothers are doing.
“If we could get all the heroes together, from the Kolkata painters to Rahul Dravid, to talk about Aids\HIV,’’ said David Gere. Well, between the two brothers, they have wrapped up both classes and the masses.