Unleash the Beast: Curtains draw on the DMAV

Social work is supposed to help people, not cause traffic accidents.

However, following the debut of the product of Deep Griha’s version of Pimp My Ride...we could be in a bit of trouble on that front.


The D-MAV (DISHA Mobile Awareness Vehicle) is a converted Ambulance, and while its purpose is to help people stay healthy and reduce stigma and discrimination, it did not seem to help Pune's commuters have a smooth ride to work on Monday morning. Several times motorists forgot to move their vehicles forward after traffic signal changes and bicyclists meandered off course with their eyes glued to the messages on the side of the van.
After all, that is the point.

The point is to bring the message of DISHA and Wake-up Pune to Pune...to wake them up and to increase awareness of the epidemic that is in their city. Hitting them with a big, black, bold, rolling statement on Monday morning is yet another arrow in the quiver of Wake-Up Pune.

The blast off of the big black bus officially happened with Major Tom (the Wake Up Pune logo)
getting serenaded by the DISHA team before a ribbon cutting.


Then the D-MAV was loaded for its first mission. Loaded with condoms, loaded with dildos (for condom demonstrations), loaded with awareness, loaded with hope, loaded with loudspeakers and microphones, and most importantly, loaded with the red sari-clad DISHA team doing a corking job replacing the A-team as the soldiers of righteous causes deploying from the red and black beast.

I felt as cool as I've felt in India being invited to join the team and sail along on their coattails, er…sari-tails for the day. Our first stop was Yerwada slum where our partners Sahara Aalhad are about to open a new outreach centre.

Driving through the narrow streets, occasionally blaring the siren, the DMAV became the pied piper. By the time it rolled to a stop at an intersection we already had a following. The rear double doors opened and the DISHA team exited. The sea of red pouring forth from the
black van was a sight to behold.

The new speaker system was set up and soon the amplified voices of
awareness boomed around the slum. The excitement amongst the DISHA
team and the Sahara team was tangible at the prospect of the vast new arena of
outreach that this inaugural event signalled as open territory.

The team rocked through their street play as usual and the awareness messages were delivered
to a crowd of around 200 who stood in the hot sun to hear the message and see what the commotion was all about.

And yes, a boldly painted van, a dozen women in red saris, two speakers, and a handful of white volunteers in a slum area in India will cause a commotion.

For us, commotion of this sort are good, anything to bring in a bigger audience because once they start watching they may get hooked.

In accordance with the new standards of DISHA, free condoms were distributed out of the back of the D-MAV following a demonstration of the proper use of a condom on a dildo by the male DISHA workers.
The pseudo-conservative culture of India was on display during this phase. The knowledge that everyone is having sex and no one is acknowledging that or protecting themselves, or making themselves aware, led to very few men actually asking for condoms. Two brave young men
however clambered into the back of the van for the demonstration,
and seeing the ice was broken, the proverbial flood gate was opened as men pressed in close to see the demonstration and receive the free boxes of condoms.

All in all, the Yerwada session was the most impressive DISHA awareness and outreach session I've been to, and I've been to several. This, without a doubt, marks a new chapter in the Wake-Up Pune campaign and opens up the communities of greater Pune and rural Pune district to the campaign.

The day did not end there. The team moved on to work with a high-risk group at a truck stop near Sahara Aalhad's centre in Wagholi.

The D-MAV slotted itself amidst the brown trucks and again the red-saried women drew a crowd as truckers emerged from their naps under the shade of their trucks and gathered around.


This time, after the proper technique was demonstrated by the DISHA men, the condom and dildo were offered to the crowd to try themselves and the rest watched intently. A few failed attempts were corrected and, after a successful trial, many more boxes were distributed to the eagerly awaiting drivers.

The day ended for the DMAV back at Tatya Tope.
Even after the sessions finish its day doesn’t end. Every time it roams the streets of Pune it is spreading awareness. This is truly a weapon to use for good.

If the first day was any indication, the DMAV is going to wake up Pune.

n.b. Coming soon, a hip-hop song inspired by a day with the DMAV by TBA. That is how inspiring this thing is.