President of the Karnataka Network of Positive People (KNPP) and Vice President of the National Positive Women's Network (PWN+), Asha is the international voice of women living with HIV.

"I was detected with HIV at 19."

My parents married me off as soon as I turned 18. Not even half a year through my marriage, my husband took very ill. It was then that the doctors diagnosed that he had full-blown AIDS.

I did not know why the doctor wanted my blood tested too and neither did my parents. I did not know about sex till after I got married, let alone AIDS.

"I was not alone."

Soon after, my husband expired and my parents took me back to their home. But they were afraid that my two younger sisters would not get married because of my condition. They started isolating me. I joined a NGO were doctors and counsellors guided me.

I met other women like me who were also coping with HIV. They formed my support system. I didn't feel so alone.

We started a network - the Positive People's Network - where I met my present husband, Elango. He too has HIV and it was his dream to marry a young widow with HIV. We married in 2000.

"Deciding to have a baby was difficult."

About a year after we got married, our parents wanted us to have a baby.

My husband and I took quite a while to decide. It was a long process. We visited many doctors and counsellors to find out how we needed to go about this. We got to know the procedure to have a healthy baby but we also got to know that there was no 100% assurance that this would work.

"It is natural to be scared even with all the information."

When I conceived, I was still not mentally prepared for the baby. I was scared that my baby would be born with the infection.

My husband was my strength during the first six months of my pregnancy. He would not leave my side. We would go for counselling once a week during my pregnancy. I followed rigidly what the doctor told me and took all the prescribed drugs.