Later he began the Kalinga Network, which now boasts of about 1,000 HIV positive members.

Patra is not alone.

Bhaskar Behera, Dillip Rao and Amarendra Behera head different groups in different Orissa districts. The Beheras command 600 supporters each.

Rao, who is active in Ganjam district, the worst hit in Orissa, raises awareness among the vulnerable people.

'In Ganjam there is a substantial number of migrant people. They often contract the disease through sexual contacts with affected people outside the state and carry the disease back home,' he said.

'Apart from helping in the treatment of those who have been affected, we focus on raising awareness among the migrants,' said Rao, who heads the Ganjam Network of Positive People.

The various networks also provide asylum for HIV women who get ostracized once it becomes known that they suffer from AIDS.

'I lost my husband to AIDS. I was blamed for his death. I was shunted out of the house. I left with my kid and now help other infected people,' said Prabhasini Pradhan, a coordinator with Kalinga Network of Positive People.

The networks run by Patra and others are proving to be very effective.

Patra said: 'Many international agencies are trying to woo us. But we are not here to earn money. What will we do with money when our days are numbered?

'We are here to help others so that they can face life valiantly without going through the trauma we underwent,' he said.

India is home to 2.5 million HIV positive people including over 70,000 children below the age of 15 years. Though Orissa is not one of the high risk states, Ganjam is one of the high risk districts in the country.

(Byomakesh Biswal can be contacted at byomakesh.b@ians.in)