Better education for young people is necessary to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Asia, Miss Universe 2000 told about 500 students Thursday in Ryan Family Auditorium.
“I’ve seen education and information give men and women the power to make life-saving decisions,” said Lara Dutta, also the reigning Miss India, “and I’ve seen a lack of information destroy lives.”
Dutta discussed her experiences with AIDS patients and HIV/AIDS prevention during a 30-minute talk sponsored by the South Asian Student Alliance.
“It’s heartrending to pick up a child, 6 months old, the picture of perfect health, knowing that this child will never have a life, never have a chance to dream,” she said.
Dutta, who is originally from Ghaziabad, India, said her native country faces serious challenges in its efforts to combat the disease.
“There are many cultural and economic factors that contribute to AIDS in rural women (in India),” she said. “They believe their only purpose is looking after their husband and children, they have no means to make money so they can leave abusive relationships, and they are told that contraception is against the will of God.”
Dressed in a bright-white fur-trimmed outfit, Dutta told the students the Indian government doesn’t have sufficient funds to maintain its disease-control efforts.
The government had instituted a program that gave blood tests and condoms to truck drivers – many of whom have been found to carry sexually transmitted diseases in India, she said – but the program recently was discontinued.
Dutta was crowned Miss Universe 2000 seven months ago in Cyprus – the birthplace of Aphrodite – and has been working with HIV/AIDS research groups ever since. She has worked for the Harvard AIDS Institute and Hale House, a home for children born with HIV and drug addiction.
Despite her hard work, Dutta said she often thinks people don’t take her seriously.
“People tend to think of – to use the layman’s term – ‘beauty contest winners’ as Barbie dolls,” she said. “Sometimes it’s frustrating not to be taken seriously.”
Dutta then donned the Miss Universe crown and sash and posed for pictures.
Weinberg sophomore Sanjum Sethi was impressed by Dutta’s intelligence as well as her photogenic qualities.
“She was really intelligent,” he said. “It was kind of a remote topic, but I think she related it well. She really brought home the important aspects.”
Sethi added: “She was obviously beautiful, too.”
But McCormick sophomore Debkumar Sarkar said although Dutta made him more aware of the problem, he didn’t think she offered any avenues for students who want to get involved.
“She had a manner of speaking about the problem instead of the solution,” he said. “It was good as an informational speech, but not necessarily as a call to arms.”
