A mehendi class in progress at the Youth Resource Centre in Jugsalai. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Nov. 8: It was a special day for Rehana, as her friends applied mehendi on her palms. Amid the bright floral and intricate designs were written three words “use a condom”.

A brain-child of Anjum Parveen, these messages designed on the palm of brides have helped Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) to reach out to the conservative Muslim population in the interiors of Jugsalai.

This unique move has been fast spreading its wings and is being welcomed by many.

“When I joined Tata Steel Rural Development Society about two years ago, people did not allow me to talk to their daughters about condoms, contraceptives, HIV or AIDS,” said Anjum.

But that did not deter her. One day the young girl along with four friends from the same locality started mehendi classes in the afternoon.

And they started to make people aware of these issues by writing small phrases on their hand.

“Being a Muslim dominated area initially people did not listen to us. We started writing slogans and making designs on the palms of the students and even taught them how to make it themselves,” added Anjum who runs these classes at Mehboob lane, at Purani Basti area.

Initially people started sending their daughters, as they thought it to be like the regular coaching classes. Though there were some apprehensions in the beginning, but with time everything became normal and the student count increased.

What started with just four girls, today is a full fledged coaching centre, where around 200 girls have been trained.

Some of these girls are even working as peer educators and social workers, reaching out to hundreds of people and making them aware of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

That is not all. The activity which started as a mere vocation is now an integral part of most weddings in the area.

The small step taken by Anjum and her friends has today yielded good results.

Not only three separate similar centres have come up in this area in the past six months, but today messages on sexual diseases, AIDS and HIV are written even on walls of houses and girls from these classes visit other city localities to teach henna designing.