Buladi, the face of the AIDS awareness campaign in Bengal that inspired Lallan Kumar, and (above) a campaign of BSACS. Telegraph pictures

Patna, Aug. 10: This Lallan is not a politician, nor is he a celebrity.

But Lallan Bihari could well have been one — just that he simply couldn’t get a face.

Lallan Bihari was a character launched by Bihar State AIDS Control Society (BSACS) in 2008 to start a dialogue on HIV/AIDS and sexuality among high-risk groups. Public service advertisements (PSAs) were launched on a private FM radio channel. The idea was to make Lallan Bihari a household name through cartoon advertisements on television and other visual media.

Three years on Lallan Bihari remains a faceless character, consigned to the dark corridors of forgetfulness. BSACS has moved on to other projects and campaigns.

A senior officer of BSACS said the idea of using a cartoon character as a brand ambassador for the AIDS control and prevention programme in the state was inspired by Buladi of Bengal. The cartoon character of a middle-aged woman was fielded aggressively in the neighbouring state.

“In Bengal, the Buladi campaign ran from end-2004 to mid-2007. She advised people on issues related to HIV and AIDS. The campaign was so well received in Bengal and generated so much response there that the BSACS decided to localise it in the context of Bihar. It was initially planned that Lallan Bihari would be launched in public domain in a phase-wise manner. Each phase would be bolder than the previous. He would address issues of stigma, discrimination, human rights and other topics related to AIDS, apart from the ways of prevention and treatment of the disease,” said the officer.

Sources said the concept of Lallan Bihari was launched by some of the programme officers in 2008-2009 fiscal. National Aids Control Organisation (Naco) approved the campaign.

“It was planned that Lallan would first be given a voice and then a face. He was planned to be a raw but street smart, reliable and well-educated youth who will advise and speak with warmth and bonhomie. At least 10 PSAs were run on radio channels for a few months. There was also a plan to start a toll-free helpline where Lallan would counsel people who called,” a source in the BSACS said.

The idea was to emphasise the importance of monogamous relations and educate people about the ground realities of HIV/AIDS, promote the usage of condoms, get people to ask and talk openly about the disease, motivate them to consult doctors and experts for medical and psychological counselling and debunk the myths and stigma associated with the disease.

The source also said a private advertisement agency had been hired to plan the campaign. The agency chose a voice that was charming, friendly yet educative. The programme, however, did not continue in the subsequent years, as the society went ahead with other schemes and campaigns.

BSACS officers, now, claimed that Lallan’s character would be revived in the next financial year. “This year, Naco has sanctioned over Rs 29 crore to BSACS. About Rs 23 crore would be spent in trying to prevent infections and the spread of the disease. This programme would comprise information, education and communication campaigns. Under the same head, we are planning to re-launch Lallan next year,” said a BSACS official.