Siliguri, Nov. 11: Raman Barman’s is a double success story: he has not only a flourishing organic garden to his credit, but his status as an HIV positive did not come in his way of becoming an accomplished farmer whose tips are being sought.

Barman had started the community kitchen garden on his eight-cottah plot three months ago.

The 40-year-old has come to attend a vocational training workshop organised by the West Bengal Voluntary Health Association (WBVHA) where he will also share his experience with other “people living with HIV (PLWH)”.

The four-day workshop, which began in Pradhannagar today, is targeted towards making the HIV positive people self-reliant by teaching them techniques of kitchen gardening, making paper bags, soft toys and woollen items.

“Vegetables that are grown using fertilisers are harmful for the health of HIV positive people. But the vegetables grown in our garden are organic and helps to increase our immunity,” said Barman.

“As HIV affected people, we should try and increase the CD4 count (a type of protein found in the blood cells that increases immunity) in our body. Therefore we cultivate green leafy vegetables like methi saag, spinach, carrot, cauliflower,” he added.

Barman, a resident of Pelkujote, is a farmer and a peer educator for the Home Based Care project for HIV affected people under the WBVHA, a Calcutta-based NGO which works for the promotion of health awareness and offers health services in the state.

As a peer educator, Barman visits the houses of HIV positive people and conducts counselling sessions.

“Initially I started the garden alone. Later, on the advice of the members of WBVHA, I involved four PLWH families. This has proved beneficial as we pool in our resources and produce vegetables for our own consumption. The surplus produce is sold in our locality. The money supplements our income,” he said.

Tarun Maiti, the project manager of WBVHA’s north Bengal unit for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control programme, said: “We have 15 support groups in Darjeeling and nearly 250 PLWH families with us now. The support groups comprise teachers, doctors and few local people who work for the social, economical and psychological well being of people affected by HIV.”

The WBVHA has a mushroom farm at Bagdogra along with the community kitchen garden at Pelkujote, 8km from Siliguri.

“Through this workshop we will try to encourage more members to start community kitchen gardens,” said Maiti.

He said officials from the state agricultural department would train the participants on the techniques of organic farming.

“We will supply them with the raw material but they must have their own land for the kitchen garden,” Maiti added. People who do not have their own land can learn to make paper bags, soft toys and woollen items said the project manager.

“Plastic bags are banned in Darjeeling so we are planning to learn to make paper bags,” said Pratap Rai, an HIV positive man, who has come to attend the workshop with four others from Darjeeling.